Lost
by Aria6
Summary: What if Axel and Roxas were lost on a deserted island and had to come together to survive? Roxas/Axel obviously, please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

The first thing Roxas was aware of was pain. His whole body seemed to ache. It reminded him vaguely of the time he'd had a very bad fever and he coughed, feeling his throat stinging and painful.

"Hey?" Something blocked out the light above him, and Roxas coughed again as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at the dark blurry shape above him. "You're alive! How are you feeling?"

"Water." Roxas managed to croak out, then blinked as a wet cloth was pressed to his lips. He sucked on it, trying to get as much water out of it as he could, and squinted as his vision began to resolve. "…" It was that annoying redhead, the one that had been sitting beside him on the plane and chatting constantly.

Wait. The plane?

"Oh my god." Roxas tried to sit up and groaned as pain bounced through his head. Then strong arms were around him, helping him up and propping him against a tree. "Where-where's the plane?"

"Out there a couple miles." The man beside him gestured towards the sea and Roxas felt his breath coming short. He had to be kidding. Didn't he? Roxas blinked and glanced around, trying to understand what was happening.

They were on an island. Roxas wasn't sure how big it was, but it was at least a fair size and looked very flat. He was sitting beneath the shade of several tropical trees, including coconut trees. The beach was beautiful and if the situation had been different, he would have been looking forward to wading into the ocean and having a really good time. Roxas turned his attention to the man beside him, and met concerned green eyes in a grimy, bruised face. Roxas remembered how handsome and well dressed the man had been on the plane. His dress shirt was in rags now, torn at the hem to make bandages and Roxas winced, reaching up to touch the cloth wound around his head. It was crusty with dried blood.

"Axel, right?" Roxas hadn't been paying much attention when the man introduced himself, lost in his own thoughts, but it came back now. Axel nodded.

"And you're Roxas. I wasn't sure you were going to wake up." Roxas swallowed and glanced over the ocean. Axel seemed to sense what he was going to ask next. "There was a storm and the plane went down. I have no idea why, but I think there were some other survivors. None made it here though. I'm a really good, strong swimmer but I barely made it. It was dumb luck I went in this direction, too, I could have ended up swimming further out to sea and we would have drowned for certain."

"You towed me here in a storm?" Roxas didn't know whether to be appalled or impressed. He couldn't imagine doing something like that for a stranger. But then, several miles of swimming while carrying a dead weight would have been just impossible for him. Axel grinned tiredly, and Roxas suddenly realized that the dark circles under his eyes weren't bruises. He looked almost exhausted under the dirt.

"Did more than that. I got us water, after a fashion." He pointed into the forest and Roxas followed his motion, blinking as he saw a hole that had been dug into the ground. "I could tell there was a bit of seepage so I dug until I started getting water. It tastes like shit, but we can drink it. For a while anyway. We need something better and some food-"

"I think you need to rest." Roxas said firmly, gripping the redhead's arm as he started to move. There was a moment of resistance before Axel sat down beside him heavily.

"Yeah." He admitted, rubbing his face for a moment and smearing the dirt. Now Roxas understood where that had come from… digging for water must have been a backbreaking, messy business. Had he done it with his hands? Surely not. "I think it's been maybe eight hours and I haven't slept more than an hour or two. The storm only broke a couple hours ago."

"I'm glad you saved my life, but you talk too much." Roxas said briskly, surprising a laugh out of the redhead. "Try to get some sleep before you fall over." And if Axel pushed himself too hard, the redhead might get sick and that wouldn't help either of them. Roxas swallowed at the thought. On the plane, red had been a nuisance but with just the two of them on what might be a deserted island… well, Roxas didn't want to be alone. And Axel had risked his life to save him. The redhead dying now of something like pneumonia would just be too ironic. Axel nodded with a small smile.

"Sure Roxy." Roxas flinched at that nickname but Axel didn't notice, trying to make himself comfortable on the hard ground. The beach would have been more comfortable, but without any shade sleeping there would be asking for a wicked burn. It didn't take long for Axel to doze off, though, and Roxas grinned as the redhead began to snore softly. Pushing himself shakily to his feet, the blonde winced at the pain in his head but began to explore.

_Some food would be really good._ Roxas winced as his stomach felt like it was cramping, and licked his lips. More water would be good too, he'd have to see what he could get out of that hole of Axel's. But maybe there was some food here. Walking along the edge of the beach, he saw several coconuts on the ground. But how to get into them? At home, his father had used a nail and a hammer to open them. He didn't have either. On the other hand, it wasn't like a hammer was a complicated tool. Gathering up a couple coconuts, he searched through the woods for a suitable rock. Finding one, he pounded it against the coconut a few times. The nut shattered messily and Roxas grimaced as he saw water go flying. He would have liked to drink that. He still managed to get some of it, caught on the shards and winced at the sour taste but drank it anyway. Picking up one of the smaller pieces, he chewed the meat off the hard exterior. _That wasn't so hard. I should bring some of this back to Axel._ He gathered up the broken pieces of the nut and carried them back to where the redhead was sleeping. Roxas knawed on the pieces for a while, wishing for a knife to remove the meat from the larger sections of nut, then slowly dozed off.

It had been a very long day.

* * *

"Hey Roxas." The blonde shivered as a large hand touched his shoulder, waking with a start and a gasp. For a moment he was frozen in fear before he registered that the hand wasn't the same as the one he dreaded, and he was lying on dirt rather than blankets. "Feeling better?" Roxas looked up into concerned green eyes and swallowed before nodding. "Thanks for the coconut, by the way." Roxas glanced over at the nut and was surprised to see that the white, edible part had been peeled away from the hard shell and placed on a 'bowl' of leaves.

"How did you do that?" Roxas asked, and Axel grinned and pulled out a pocket knife. "Oh! That's helpful." Roxas grabbed a piece of the remaining coconut, and Axel took a chunk as well. Roxas suspected the redhead was very hungry, but hadn't wanted to eat the entire nut before he woke up.

"Yeah. Better yet, I smoke sometimes and I've got a full lighter on me." Axel wasn't a serious smoker and he'd run out of cigarettes some time ago, but the lighter would be very helpful for starting a fire. "But we have to find some better water, this is drying up." Roxas glanced down into the hole and winced as he saw Axel was right. "I think the underground water was swollen from the rain."

"Ah." That made sense but might mean that even if they kept digging finding water here might eventually become impossible. Axel stood, brushing the dirt off his pants and Roxas followed him into the bush. Axel was frowning as he glanced around and Roxas wondered what he was noticing that he didn't like. It all looked like tropical brush to him, but then, he'd never paid much attention to plants before. Nature hikes had never been his thing.

"Hmm." Axel paused to examine some tracks as Roxas looked at them blankly. "This island must be fairly large. There are pigs and goats here." That made him blink and look at the tracks more closely. It all looked like a mess to him. "This could be a problem."

"A problem? Why? Can't we eat them?" Roxas thought it would be easy to catch a pig. Axel grinned at him.

"You've never seen a wild pig, I'm guessing. We don't have a gun and I like living, so if we stumble over one of those I'm heading up a tree while you kill it." The blonde glowered and Axel thought it made him look very cute. Although that wasn't a great thing to think about – how old was the kid, anyway? Axel realized he didn't have a clue. He pegged the kid at maybe twelve but something about him seemed older.

"You're scared of a pig?" Axel shook his head at the naivety behind that remark and replied patiently.

"I take it you've never read classical literature. One of the labors of Hercules was to capture a wild boar and bring it back to the king alive. Granted, that was a monster pig but the fact is that wild pigs are not for sissies. They can and will kill you if they get a chance and we don't have any weapons. Seriously, if we see one climb up a tree." Roxas looked a touch grumpy at the thought of running from a pig. "Now, the goats are another matter, but first we need some water." They were both getting thirsty already. Roxas nodded.

They were both beginning to despair when they finally found it. It was a ruin that had once, perhaps, been a village. It was hard to tell but the one thing that was still intact was the well. There was even a bucket, although it was old and not particularly watertight at all. Still, along with a rope made from the remains of Axel's shirt it was fresh water.

"Hmm, I think my shirt is now totally cashed out." Roxas laughed as Axel stripped away the remains of the expensive dress shirt. "Mom is going to be so upset, she got me that for Christmas."

"If we make it out alive, I doubt she'll care. Do you think we should stay here?" Axel glanced around thoughtfully at the remains of bricks.

"Ye-eess, I think so." Axel seemed dubious, though, and Roxas looked at him questioningly. "The problem is we'd be a lot more visible to any searchers on the beach. But it's really exposed. This place would be better to ride out any storms." Although the whole island was very flat. That worried Axel a bit. But the pigs and goats survived, so even the worst tropical storm wasn't likely to kill them. He hoped.

"Maybe we could stay here for the night and go to the beach during the day." Roxas suggested and Axel looked thoughtful.

"Not a bad idea. If we set up a big fire on the beach, it would burn through most of the night." Fire was going to be the easiest way to signal their presence to any possible rescuers. "See if you can find more coconuts or anything edible, I'll try to get a fire going." Roxas nodded, taking the older man's orders easily. Axel seemed to know what he was doing and he was older, so it felt completely natural. He searched some time but most of the coconuts here seemed to be green and stuck firmly to the trees. He did find something else though.

"Hey Axel? Are these edible?" He asked as he carried several yellowish fruits back into the ruins, and blinked. Axel had a good fire started and was carefully clearing the area around it, although there wasn't much to burn really. "Wow, that was fast!"

"I found some good, dry twigs and the lighter really helped." Axel grimaced slightly. "I'd hate to try lighting a fire without it. We need to be careful not to let this go out if we can avoid it." That made putting up shelter rather important, to keep the fire active. Axel's lighter would run out if they had to make too many fires and he wasn't putting any money on his odds of success at making fires by hand. "What have you got – papaya!" Axel looked very pleased as he carefully took one of the fruits and pressed on it. "They look ripe too. Were there any more?" Two fruits wouldn't be enough for a good meal, the way he felt right now. Roxas nodded.

"Lots. Follow me." He led Axel back to the little tree he had found, and they both picked off the ripe papaya, Axel showing Roxas how to identify the ripe ones. "You know a lot about fruit." It seemed a little odd for… what did Axel do? Roxas knew the redhead had told him on the plane, but he couldn't remember. But it hadn't involved fruit. Axel grinned.

"Yeah, I've been living in Hawaii for the past year. I always loved those little farmers markets with a ton of fruit for sale, I learned about the different types. I can probably pick out anything edible. I can certainly recognize stuff like breadfruit." Axel sounded very confident and suddenly, Roxas felt… he wasn't sure how he felt. Almost incompetent. He'd lived on Hawaii half his life, really, but his father had never taken him to any farmer's markets and he hadn't cared about the fruits. Roxas helped carry the fruits back to their little camp and Axel set to cutting them up as he watched, wishing he had a pocket knife as well. "Here you go." Axel passed him a Papaya that he'd sliced into quarters and removed the seeds from. Roxas look it carefully then bit into the smooth, sweet flesh of the fruit.

"Thanks." Axel smiled and started on his own fruit. They ate in silence for a while, and soon Axel was cutting up some more fruit. There was no reason not to eat until they were full, and every reason why they should. "Axel, tell me about yourself." Roxas suddenly said, and Axel blinked.

"Huh? What do you want to know?" Axel scratched his ear, then ate some more papaya before feeding a log into the fire. It was starting to get dark out and a touch chilly, so the fire was more than welcome. Roxas frowned.

"Just… anything. Tell me anything about yourself." He wasn't sure why he was asking, but it was an irritation, knowing that Axel had told him so much in the plane and he just couldn't remember any of it. Axel shrugged then grinned.

"Well! I was conceived in Okinawa, Japan." Axel said lightly and Roxas winced.

"You… don't have to go THAT far back." It was more information thane he really wanted. Axel laughed.

"But it's a good story! You sure you don't want to hear the story of my conception?" Roxas gave him an 'I am not amused' look. "Okay, okay. Well, it is somewhat pertinent in a different way. My parents met in Okinawa. My mom was an English teacher for Japanese kids and my dad was in the marines." Axel took another bite of his papaya before continuing. "Mom's Canadian, so I have dual citizenship. Which mostly means it's easy to take jobs up in Canada if I want. Anyway, they made me, finally got married after a long and interesting courtship and mom followed dad around the globe. I've lived in the most amazing places." Axel smiled again, this time sadly. "Dad died three years ago on a mission."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Roxas muttered, looking down at the fruit in his hands. But really, he felt almost resentful although he throttled the feeling quickly. It wasn't Axel's fault that he had a father he'd loved and cared for while Roxas – he yanked his thoughts away from that. There was no point in dwelling on it. Axel shook his head.

"It was a while ago. I'm over it, although I'll always miss him. Anyway. I'm a freelance photographer now, mostly doing weddings although I do work for magazines too." Axel smiled and his eyes were warm and happy. "I love photography, it's my passion. I started when I was just a kid."

"You're lucky. I don't know what I want to do when I finish school." That question had been haunting Roxas for a while. He was sure he wasn't going to university. His grades weren't very good and besides that, how could he get the money? His parents made too much for him to get a loan but there was no chance at all they would give him any kind of help. He was okay at writing but lacked the dedication to write a real book. Axel laughed.

"I'm sure you'll find something good. You seem like a smart kid." Roxas bridled a bit at that. Who was Axel calling a kid?

"I'm fourteen." He snapped, and regretted it as Axel smiled.

"Well, turn about is fair play. Tell me a bit about yourself." Roxas winced, but he'd been asking for that.

"My parents are divorced." He stated flatly. "Mom and my step-dad live in Baton Rouge and my dad lives in Hawaii. I go to visit him every year for summer but this year he got a girlfriend who doesn't want me around, so I got sent home early. I've run away from home a lot and my grades are shit. Anything else you'd like to know?" Axel looked started and Roxas almost felt bad, laying his family situation onto him like that.

"Uh… favorite fast food place?" Roxas blinked, then laughed, suddenly cheered a bit.

"Hmm." He had to give that some serious thought. "Subway, I think. You?"

"Oh, Burger King all the way. Nothing better than a good, char-broiled burger." Axel said solemnly and Roxas laughed again. "And have you checked out that Flame cologne thing they came out with? The website is just wrong, I love it."

"Really? You'll have to show me if we get out of here." It sounded fascinating. Axel considered it with a grin.

"I dunno, would the sight of the Burger King in a bubble bath making come hither gestures scar you mentally?" Roxas winced at the mental image.

"I might have to poke out my eyes. I think I'll skip it." Axel laughed again and they chatted for a while by the light of the fire. Roxas learned that Axel was twenty and had decided to leave Hawaii for a more vibrant scene in Vancouver, Canada where his mother was living. Although it might actually hurt his business a bit, a lot of tourists came to Hawaii to get married and needed photographers.

"It will be worth it to be with my mom, though." Axel confided in Roxas. "She's the best, really. I mean she can be a bit of a bitch and I'd never want to live with her now that I'm an adult, but she's still pretty cool." Roxas nodded but couldn't help but feel a pang. He wouldn't care if his own mother died tomorrow. "Well, I'm tired." Axel carefully fed several logs into the fire. "That should keep it 'till morning. Good night, Roxas."

"Good night Axel." Roxas watched as the redhead tried to make himself comfortable on the hard ground, then sighed and tried to do the same. He knew it wouldn't be easy to sleep well on nothing but dirt, but he had to try.

Tomorrow would be a long day.


	2. Life's a Beach

"Hey Roxy, wake up." Roxas started as he felt a hand on him again, but this time he knew it was Axel's immediately. Although he really wished the redhead wouldn't call him that. "I got us some breakfast." That chased away any worries about nicknames as his stomach growled, and Roxas sat up, licking his lips. Axel offered him a leaf bowl filled with coconut pieces, and Roxas took it with a smile.

"Thanks." Axel smiled and went back to what he'd been doing, which seemed to be trying to build a shelter. Roxas blinked at that. "How long have you been awake?" It seemed like Axel had gotten a lot done. The redhead glanced over with a grin.

"Oh, I dunno, a couple hours. Don't worry about me, I don't need that much sleep. Five hours and I'm fresh as a daisy." Roxas had to admit that Axel looked pretty good, despite the dirt, bright and chipper. "Besides, I can always take a nap later."

"Hmm. Do you think that's going to work?" Axel was trying to use the ruined walls along with poles he'd fashioned out of fallen trees to make a shelter. It looked really odd and Roxas wasn't sure it was going to stay up. Axel grimaced.

"I have no idea. If only we had some rope… but I might as well wish for scantily clad young women, while I'm at it. Or men." Axel added thoughtfully, and Roxas laughed as he got up to help, still chewing on a piece of coconut.

"You have one of those, although I'm not scantily clad yet." Roxas said teasingly and Axel grinned as he held a pole in place while Axel tried to lash it together with a vine.

"Let me rephrase, scantily clad young men of legal age… blast!" Axel glowered as the pole fell over, and Roxas couldn't help but laugh. "Let's try that again." This time it actually seemed to work, and Axel cheerfully began layering leaves over the crude shelter. It would keep the rain off, as long as the wind didn't come strongly towards the open side. But if it did that they were probably in for a miserable night anyway.

"How old are you, Axel?" Roxas asked curiously, realizing he didn't know. The redhead didn't look very old at all, but he had a successful career so he couldn't be that young.

"Nineteen. Just graduated last year." Roxas eyed him, surprised, and Axel grinned. "I've been doing weddings part time for years while I was in school, to earn a few bucks. I just had to expand it a bit."

"Oh. Nice." Strangely, Roxas was pleased to find out that Axel wasn't really that much older than him. They could have gone to school together, although they certainly wouldn't have been friends with that kind of age gap. Roxas thoughtfully fed some more wood into the fire. Fortunately, there was plenty of wood on the island. There was no way the two of them were even going to make a dent in the supply. They were only half-done the shelter when Axel called a halt to it.

"We should go to the beach, set up a fire there. And see if we can catch some fish." Axel was feeling the need for some meat. The fruit was good, but they would be better off with fish or goat if they could catch it.

"We don't have any hooks." Roxas pointed out and Axel shook his head.

"Spear fishing. I should be able to sharpen some sticks with my pocket knife." Although he thought that his poor, abused knife was going to be getting pretty dull and sharpening it wouldn't be easy. On the other hand, it would work dull, it would just be harder. "And maybe there will be oysters." Axel actually thought that was a pretty good bet. Oysters were almost everywhere. There might be a bit of danger if they ate them raw, but Axel wasn't going to worry about that. They would be very fresh so the danger would be minimal anyway. "My pocket knife will be perfect to open those. Have you ever eaten raw oysters before?"

"Uh, no." Roxas looked a bit taken aback at the though, and Axel grinned.

"They're a delicacy. You'll like them, I promise." Roxas just shrugged. He was willing to eat anything edible, really, and oysters beat bugs. He'd read a book once where the characters survived on tropical insects and he really didn't want to do that. They both went to the well and drank as much water as they could hold. Axel pulled a flaming stick out of the fire and carried it carefully as they walked down to the beach. Soon they had a new bonfire set up in the middle of the sand, sending smoke up towards the sky. But the ocean was completely empty. "Huh. I wonder if they know where the plane crashed." Axel frowned, scratching his head as Roxas bit his lip. "There should be those reconstruction teams and stuff, right?"

"Uh, right." Roxas suddenly felt sick and gripped Axel's arm tightly. "A-Axel." Axel looked at him curiously then blinked as the blonde buried his face in Axel's bare chest, and Axel ran a hand through blonde spikes as he felt hot tears against his skin.

"Roxas, what's wrong?" Roxas shook his head and mutely pointed further down the beach, feeling Axel suddenly stiffen. "Oh gods!" Pulling away from Roxas, he ran over to what the blonde had spotted. Roxas coughed and started to cry as Axel turned over the body.

The woman was clearly deceased, her eyes open and skin cold to the touch. Axel swallowed and shook his head. She'd been alive when the plane crashed, he thought, but had drowned in the storm. From the Hawaiian print shirt and the glasses still hanging from a beaded chain on her throat, he thought she'd been a tourist going home after a trip to Hawaii.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to the woman, although he didn't know what he was sorry for. Being alive while she was dead? Then he felt warm arms around him and could feel Roxas quietly crying. Swallowing, he turned and hugged the blonde, cradling the younger boy against his chest. This was probably the first time he'd seen a dead body. Axel patted him on the back and whispered soothing nonsense into his ear until the boy hiccupped and sniffed, eyes tightly closed. "Roxy." Axel didn't want to say it, but it had to be done. "I need to… to carry her to the woods. We should put stones on her, bury her, something." Stones would be easier. Roxas shivered but let go of him, rubbing his eyes.

"I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out like that. It just brought everything home to me." Roxas was suddenly so glad he was alive, and grabbed Axel's hand, giving him a tight squeeze as he looked into bright green eyes. "Thank you Axel." Axel smiled briefly, giving him a comforting squeeze back.

"It was nothing." Axel pulled his hand away and carefully picked up the woman, flinching a bit at her cold skin and having a bit of difficulty with the stiffness of the body. Rigor mortis was well set in, and Roxas shuddered, looking away and following as Axel carried the body into the woods. He started gathering rocks as Axel set down the corpse, and then the older boy wordlessly joined him. It took some time for them to find enough rocks, but they finally piled enough on the body to make a decent cairn. "I hope nothing else like this washes up." Roxas looked up, appalled by the thought, and saw that Axel was dead serious. "If there's too many we might need to build a pyre."

"Oh god, I hope not." Roxas was suddenly forcibly reminded of the movie War of the Worlds, and the scene where dozens of dead bodies floated down the river. That couldn't happen on the beach. Could it? From Axel's grim expression, he thought it could. "That couldn't really happen, could it?"

"If the current is going this way and this wasn't just a fluke, it could." Axel said heavily and Roxas swallowed convulsively, shaking his head. He wasn't sure he could handle that. Then he felt an arm around his shoulders and sniffed as the redhead cuddled him. "If you can't handle it, Roxy, I'll take care of it." Axel wasn't really that much more familiar with death than Roxas, but he'd stumbled over a decomposing body once, and it had actually been much worse than this. He thought he could handle it. Or at least, he hoped he could. "C'mon, let's go try to find some oysters." Axel didn't feel particularly hungry now, but they needed to keep their strength up. Roxas nodded, rubbing his eyes and following Axel back to the beach.

It turned out that Axel was right about the oysters. There were huge oyster beds and they were almost pristine, attacked by nothing but starfish. Soon Axel was opening oysters and swallowing them down. Roxas didn't like them as much, they were huge and very chewy, but he worked on it. They were nourishing and easy to catch, that was the important part. They ate in silence for a while, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Then Axel picked up a branch and started whittling it, making it into a spear. Roxas watched him work for a while before finally clearing his throat.

"Uh, Axel." The redhead glanced up and Roxas saw he was looking a bit flushed. Probably already getting a burn, he was very fair skinned. "I was wondering… do you have any hobbies?"

"Hm? Oh." Distracted from his work, Axel ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Well, dad loved hunting and got me into it. I also like nature hikes, fishing and I'm into karate." Roxas winced, looking away. "Roxy, what's wrong?"

"Don't call me that." Roxas said half-heartedly, then sighed. "I just – I just feel so useless compared to you. I play video games and play basketball." Although he wasn't really any good at it. He was far too short. Axel shook his head, reaching out to squeeze the blonde's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Roxas. My dad was an outdoorsy kind of guy and he taught me to be the same. I bet your parents weren't like that, were they?" Roxas shook his head. His dad was slightly like that, but they hadn't bonded much at all. And his mother and step-father certainly weren't outdoors types. Even if he'd wanted to spend more time in their presence, which he hadn't. "I'm just glad you're here with me." Roxas couldn't help but smile at that.

"Thanks Axel." That made him feel better, although he was fairly sure that Axel would have been glad to have anyone to talk to. But that was good, really. He didn't want Axel getting really attached to him… didn't he? Roxas suddenly frowned as he thought about it, then looked at Axel. The redhead was bent over a bit, carefully whittling at his stick and Roxas licked his lips as he saw how the sweat was beading on his bare shoulders, how well defined his muscles were. He hesitated, reaching out –

"Ah!" Roxas pulled his hand back as Axel suddenly stood, brushing sand off his pants. What had he been thinking? He wasn't even sure Axel was interested in guys! Oh, wait, given that joke about pretty girls or boys he was probably bi. "This should do it. I'm going to go try my luck. Can you look away for a sec? I don't want to get my clothes wet." Axel hoisted his rough fishing spear, completely oblivious to Roxas' confusion. The blonde blushed as Axel stripped off his pants, then sighed wistfully as he watched the redhead walk into the ocean. Axel had wonderful buns. Then he frowned as he saw Axel swimming out into the ocean.

"Axel, where are you going?" Suddenly uneasy, Roxas hesitated, then stripped off his clothing and followed. Axel treaded water for a moment, glancing back.

"I think there might be a reef here. There would be a lot of fish in it!" Roxas swam out as Axel ducked under the water. He knew he wasn't going to be much help, but he suddenly had a horrible image in his mind of Axel getting bitten by a shark. It was probably very unlikely, but Roxas really didn't want anything to happen to the redhead. He had no idea what he would do without him, really. Axel surfaced and grinned at him as he swam up to the older boy. "A reef for certain. Check it out!" Axel took a deep breath and dove again, and Roxas followed.

It was hard to see underwater, of course, but he could make out the brilliant reef. Axel kicked vigorously then suddenly stopped, letting himself slowly descend. Roxas stayed back, not wanting to get in the way, and he was amazed by how long Axel could hold his breath. He was straining when Axel tossed a bit of sand into the water, trying to lure a rather large fish closer. The redhead succeeded in spearing the fish but almost lost his spear as it thrashed and tried to get away. Roxas had to go to the surface then, but Axel followed only a few moments later, gasping for air as he broke the water.

"First try!" He wheezed out. "Can't believe it. It's big too!" Axel was gripping the struggling fish tightly and Roxas moved to help, getting smacked with a tail. "Not very wary, bet they haven't seen people forever. Let's get it to shore." Roxas nodded and the two of them dragged in the mortally wounded, fighting fish to shore. They were both gasping and winded when they heaved it onto the shore.

"It's the size of a small child Axel!" Roxas was very impressed with the catch, and Axel nodded, finding a rock and using it to finally put the fish out of its misery.

"I… think it's a goliath grouper. I've never seen one before." Axel ran a hand over the skin of the fish. The was yellow underneath and heavily specked with darker dots. The mouth was a huge thing. "A juvenile one."

"Wh-what?!? Juvenile?" Roxas stared at the fish. He thought it was a good seventy-five pounds. Axel grinned at him, amused.

"These suckers can weigh up to eight hundred pounds, Roxas." Roxas stared at him, not sure if he believed that claim. An eight hundred pound fish? "Four hundred pounds is mature. This isn't a baby but it's not grown either." Axel heaved up the fish and admired it. "First time I've actually seen one." Then he frowned. "Where you find fish like this, you typically also find sharks. We'll have to watch out for that." Roxas shivered at the thought and glanced at the sea, remembering his earlier fears. "Don't worry, most sharks aren't human aggressive anyway. C'mon, let's cook this thing." Axel cheerfully carried the fish back to the fire, which was under the shade of a few trees. Roxas was glad for that. He was sure Axel was getting a sunburn, and he had a flushed feeling that seemed to hint that he was going to have one too. On the plus side, once he'd burned and peeled once Roxas knew he would develop a tan, and he hoped Axel would too. "Ow! Goddamn mosquitoes." Axel swatted himself and Roxas swallowed as he was suddenly reminded of the fact that they were both naked. Axel hadn't seemed to notice, too preoccupied with the catch of the day, but Roxas suddenly blushed and searched desperately for their clothes. He quickly pulled on his pants and shirt, bringing Axel's pants over to him.

"Erm, Axel?" Roxas offered the clothing to the redhead, who looked up the fish, startled.

"Oh!" Dropping the pocket knife, Axel flushed slightly and took his pants, pulling them on. "Ah, sorry."

"It's no problem." Roxas said hurriedly, wishing that a deep, dark, treacherous part of him weren't wishing Axel was still naked. Although he looked wonderful without a shirt too.

"Still. I don't want to embarrass you." Axel murmured and Roxas looked up, blue eyes meeting concerned green. Roxas swallowed hard, feeling a blush spreading across his cheeks and cursing it. He was no stranger to the feeling, really, he'd known he was gay for years. But no one had attracted him this strongly.

"It's fine." He said more strongly, as much to himself as to Axel. "How do we cook this thing?" Axel accepted the change of subject and went back to his work on the grouper. It wasn't easy, gutting and cleaning it with a pocket knife, but he was managing.

"Well, this is going to take a while I think. Could you feed the fire a bit?" Roxas took care of that, putting a few branches into the fire. "And could you find some sticks? We'll probably have to cut off pieces, spear them and roast them. Or we could just eat it raw, like sashimi. Although that might give us parasites." Axel was a bit vague on it but he seemed to recall that sushi grade fish were flash frozen to prevent that. Roxas shook his head.

"Let's cook it." He wasn't a big fan of sushi at all. It wasn't a big thing in Baton Rouge, or at least not with his mother and step-father. Roxas started looking for likely sticks and came back with a couple well before Axel was done with the fish. Although the redhead was making a bit of a mess of it, really. Finally he managed to cut off a few good chunks of meat for them to roast. Sticking the sticks through it wasn't easy either, but they managed.

"So what's it like living in Baton Rouge?" Axel asked conversationally as they held their sticks over the fire, waiting for the fish to cook a bit. Roxas frowned, thinking about it.

"About like living anywhere, I guess." Roxas shrugged. "It's really hot in the summer, as hot as Hawaii. It's super mild in the winter. The neighborhood I live in and the school I go to suck." Roxas' eyes darkened as he thought about it. "I'm going to drop out as soon as I can." What was the point, really, in even graduating with his grades like they were? Axel hesitated, and shook his head. "I know, I know, I should graduate. But I'm tired of getting beat up all the time." Roxas took a deep breath, then decided not to say anymore. He was in a bad neighborhood and his very blonde, very white looks made him stand out. Not to mention how short and small he was.

"Have you tried getting karate lessons?" Axel believed firmly in the value of being able to protect yourself. Roxas shook his head.

"I tried. I got a paper route to pay for it, but someone stole my money. And only mom and step-dad were in the house." Roxas added sourly. He wasn't sure which one of them had taken it, but it could have been either. They both had an alcohol problem. Axel winced.

"Well, if you want, I can teach you a bit while we're here." Axel offered and Roxas blinked at him. "Once we get our shelter done there won't be a lot to do."

"Oh." Roxas considered that and decided it was a good idea. Axel was right, there wasn't going to be a whole lot to do on the island soon so why not? It might be useful, although if they were found quickly he wouldn't be able to learn too much. "Sure, why not." Axel nodded and pulled his fish out of the fire, testing it with his fingers.

"Eh. This will do." And he started to eat the still slightly raw fish. Roxas frowned, then shrugged and pulled his own. Even if they did get some parasites, it probably wasn't going to kill them. Roxas was a little surprised by the taste of the fish. It was firm, slightly sweet and not very fishy.

"This is pretty good." He said thoughtfully. "Although it'd be better with seasonings." Axel grinned at that.

"Yeah, too bad we don't have any of those. Too bad we don't have any pots and pans, either. If we found some breadfruit and got more papaya, along with a pan, I bet I could make a real meal out of this." Axel sighed and shook his head. "Might as well wish for those scantily clad young women."

"And men." Roxas added, making Axel laugh. He smiled to himself as he watched Axel eat. The redhead was really incredibly sexy, and Roxas bit his lip for a moment before going back to his fish.

He had no idea what to do about his attraction to Axel, if anything. It would require some thinking on it.


	3. Schroedinger's Cat

"Yes! I did it!" Roxas groaned and rolled over, before reluctantly opening his eyes. Axel's habit of waking up long before him was a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but he was getting used to it.

They had been on the island for three days and there was no sign of rescue, although they were trying to keep the fire on the beach active at all times. So far there had only been one night of rain, and it had just been a light drizzle. Their shelter was doing a pretty good job of protecting them from the elements.

"Did what?" Roxas mumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Then he crossed them as Axel shoved a coconut in his face. "Huh?"

"I drained out the water inside." Axel said cheerfully. "And put water from the well in it. We can use them as water jugs." Roxas brightened, waking up a bit more at that. Water had proven to be a bit of a problem. With no way to carry it they had been almost chained to the well, which was fine but didn't let them explore the rest of the island. For all they knew there was a village on the other side and they just hadn't seen it. Well, it wasn't at all likely really, but there could be. And they wouldn't know what else the island had to offer until they were able to carry some water along with them.

"That's great! How did you manage to get the water out without shattering the nut?" That was what they had had problems with, although they'd manage to break a few nuts a bit more neatly, enough to make bowls from a few coconut halves. Axel made a face.

"My knife and a rock to force it in right into the eyelets. It was a gamble, but I figured it was worth it." Roxas winced. They'd considered using Axel's pocket knife for this before, but Axel had been afraid they might break it. That would be a disaster. The pocket knife had proven to be a valuable asset, right below the lighter. If it broke, they would have to try to make tools out of rocks. Neither one of them was looking forward to that. Axel got to work on a second coconut, and soon they had another canteen. And best of all, the pocket knife was still intact.

"Maybe we can run down those goats now, too." Axel commented as they headed to the beach, brand in hand. They still needed to start the beach fire, whatever else they did today. Luckily, nothing else had washed up on the beach. Roxas walked behind Axel, the better to watch him. Although the nasty, peeling sunburn on his shoulders wasn't very sexy. Roxas scratched his own nose, wincing and peeling off a bit of skin. He was just as burned as Axel, but hopefully it would pass.

After building up the fire, they started exploring the rest of the island. It seemed to be a fair size, although it quickly became clear that it wasn't exactly large. They found the place the goats had been congregating easily enough.

"A spring. That makes sense." Axel tilted his head, looking at the little pond a few goats were drinking from. "I bet every animal on the island drinks from here. Lucky for them this place doesn't have much in the way of predators."

"Besides us." Roxas added, looking at the goats. They were mostly surviving on fruit and fish, with some vegetables Axel had managed to identify, like taro. But some red meat would definitely be a welcome addition to their diet, and glancing at Axel, Roxas knew he felt the same way. Axel was looking at the goats thoughtfully, and his gaze dropped to the pocket knife and the spear he used for fishing.

"Maybe the spear…" He hesitated a moment, then passed the pocket knife to Roxas. "If you get a chance, cut its throat." Roxas hesitated then nodded as Axel began stalking the goats as Roxas stayed back, watching. The redhead moved very silently but Roxas was still amazed when he managed to get in striking distance and cast his spear.

The wound wasn't at all fatal though, and the goats scattered. But Axel leapt out, yelling loudly, and the wounded one went directly towards Roxas. The blonde grabbed the goat as it tried to break around him, and yelped as a sharp hook kicked him. But he managed to stab it in the throat. Blood sprayed and the goat jerked away and kept running, but didn't very far before it collapsed, hooves kicking. Roxas gasped and blinked as he realized he was splattered in blood. He could taste it, too, and spat, trying to get the iron taste out of his mouth.

"Roxas." Axel sounded strangely calm, and Roxas looked over at him, surprised to see him staring fixedly over his shoulder. "Climb a tree. Right now."

"Huh?" Roxas froze as he heard a squeal behind him. It sounded like nothing he'd ever heard before, and he turned his head to see a huge wild pig behind him. The blonde reeled a bit mentally at the size of it. It had to be at least twice his weight, maybe more, and it was hairy and nasty looking. And it didn't look at all happy. "Oh shit!" Roxas ran for a tree as the pig squealed again, a horrible grating sound, and charged. Axel grabbed him and boosted him up just before grabbing a tree branch and pulling himself up. The pig just barely missed him, hitting the tree with a resounding crash. Roxas yelped as he almost lost his grip on the tree, but managed to hang on as Axel helped him climb higher. Soon they were safely ensconced on a comfortable branch as the feral hog protested beneath them, snuffling and pawing at the base of the tree. "I – I didn't know pigs got that big." And the teeth it was baring at them looked plenty nasty. Axel nodded.

"That's a female. You can tell because she doesn't have any tusks. I bet her nest is near and all the sound disturbed her." Axel leaned back, his back against the tree trunk, and folded his arms over his belly. "Sit back and relax. We'll have to wait for her to leave, and I bet it's going to be a while before she gets bored."

"You got the best spot for sitting back." Roxas pointed out and Axel just grinned. Roxas watched him for a moment, captivated by his sparkling green eyes, the bright red hair and those fascinating tattoos. Everything about Axel was captivating. Even the sunburn on his nose. Roxas scooted closer until their knees were touching, and Axel tilted his head to one side. "Um, Axel?" The blonde wet his lips, resting a hand on Axel's thigh. The redhead stared at him, a bit shocked, but didn't pretend to misunderstand.

"Roxas, um. You're fourteen." Axel said cautiously, uncertain what to do about this. Roxas was cute as a button and if he was sixteen Axel wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. A three year age difference was nothing. But fourteen, especially when Roxas looked younger, felt like it was verging on pedophile territory and it was almost certainly illegal. Axel couldn't like that, no matter how willing the blonde seemed to be. "That's too young." There was a flash of bitterness in Roxas' eyes before the blonde leaned forward and Axel swallowed hard, putting a hand against his chest, not certain what he was doing.

"Some people didn't think so." Roxas whispered in Axel's ear before he brushed his lips over the redhead's skin, making him draw in a quick breath. "I'm not a virgin, Axel."

"Uh." Axel blinked then drew in a deep breath, shaking his head. "Kids playing around is one thing, Roxas, but I'm nineteen. It's really not right." Axel was pretty certain it would at least qualify as statutory rape. Roxas scowled, wanting desperately to tell Axel how wrong he was… but what if the redhead was disgusted by his past? That would be too much to bear.

"How old is old enough?" Roxas finally asked, almost growling, and Axel hesitated.

"Sixteen?" That might still be statutory rape, depending on where they were, but Axel wouldn't personally feel like a pedophile if Roxas was sixteen. Roxas sighed, looking down.

"Alright." It wasn't, though. If they were actually stranded on this island and no one came for them, Axel was going to wait two years? And if someone did come for them then Roxas would never see the redhead again. He felt a strange pang at the thought. Then he blinked, feeling strong arms folding around him.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Axel said softly, running a hand through blonde spikes. Roxas looked so dejected, his blue eyes so sad, that he just had to do something. "If we get picked up we can still keep in touch. Trade e-mail addresses, that sort of thing. Maybe you can come stay with me when you finish school." Or drop out, Axel added to himself but didn't say. Roxas was diverted at the thought.

"In Vancouver?" That was actually rather appealing. It would be a complete break from his family and everyone he knew. He'd miss a few of his friends but definitely not his family. "I don't know… are there igloos there?" Axel stared at him, aghast, then threw back his head and laughed. Roxas blinked, wondering what was so funny.

"In _Vancouver?_ It hardly even snows in the winter! It rains." Roxas flushed. "What do they teach kids about Canada these days? Igloos!" Roxas scowled and gave him a light shove, careful not to actually dislodge Axel from the branch. The pig down below them snorted as if it was agreeing with Axel.

"I suck in school, remember? Tell me about Vancouver." Axel was glad to oblige, grinning.

"Vancouver is great. It can get really hot and humid in the summer… I went to visit mom one time and thought I would die… but it's mild and rainy in the winter. It's a really big city, you can find almost anything there and it's got a great China town. There's also Stanley Park, I loved visiting that. Oh, the best thing is that if you don't have a car, the public transit system is really good. I've lived in a lot of places that were a ton worse." Axel was really quite fond of the skytrains. "And yeah, there are no igloos and penguins. Although we could always go up into the Yukon for vacation. I hear there's some pretty nice nature tours and stuff." Roxas sighed, not really sharing Axel's enthusiasm for nature… but if Axel was there, it might be a lot more interesting.

"Not in the winter." Roxas said firmly. Summer hiking might be fun but he hated the cold and didn't want to slog through snow.

"No, not in the winter, I wouldn't want to do that either. Winter in the Yukon can be brutal, we should stick to Vancouver for that." Axel said cheerfully, glancing down. "Hey, it looks like the pig has wandered off." Roxas looked down, glancing around cautioiusly, but there was no sign of the sow. "Let's go collect that goat and see what we can do with it." Axel had some hopes that he might be able to use the hide to make ropes. With something close to real rope, he might be able to make an actual spear and with that he'd be in a better position to defend himself from a wild boar. Maybe even kill one, which would be nice. He was sure they were good eating.

The two of them carried the goat back to the beach. The fire was still going, and they built it up a bit more before Axel started working on skinning the goat. Roxas helped with a sharp stone he'd managed to find, but it wasn't nearly as good as the pocket knife. Soon though, Roxas was holding a few steaks skewered on sticks over the flames as Axel tried to make clean off the skin. Roxas glanced up as Axel began to sing to himself. He had a very nice voice, really, and it was a song he'd never heard before.

_Got a brand new suit,_

_Got a brand new tie,_

_Got a brand new twinkle in m'eye,_

_Do you know the reason why?_

_Got a brand new girl and I won't dispute,_

_She's the reason why I got a brand new tie and a brand new suit._

_When I'm with her,_

_Gotta look my best._

_Put on my tan shoes,_

_Grey spats, double breasted vest._

_Gonna wear my stickpin, it's a Tecla Pearl,_

_With a brand new tie and a brand new suit,_

_And a brand new girl._

Then Axel whistled the tune a bit, and Roxas couldn't help but grin. It was a very upbeat little song.

"Where's that song from, Axel?" He asked conversationally as he watched fat drip into the fire

"Louise Armstrong." Axel answered immediately. Roxas frowned. That name was vaguely familiar.

"Who was he?" Axel paused in his work, looking a little pained.

"One of the most famous jazz singers ever. Not just jazz, really… surely you've heard of him?" If not, Axel wasn't sure what to think. Roxas blushed.

"Oh! Yes, I have. Like Frank Sinatra." Someone everyone knew about, even if they'd never actually heard his work. Axel nodded with a smile.

"Right. I'm not really into music, but I mostly listen to older stuff. Dad liked it, especially Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong." Axel looked slightly sad for a moment as he kept working on the goat, then shrugged. "Although I listen to other stuff when I go out to parties, of course." He didn't much care for it though. Roxas nodded.

"I like Voltaire. You should hear his songs, they're really neat. Some of them are hilarious." Roxas wasn't sure if Axel would like them, but it might be interesting to see.

"If you want to sing one of them, I'll listen." Axel said good-naturedly, and Roxas shook his head. He knew his voice wasn't very good at all, for singing anyway. "I think those steaks are about done."

"Huh?" Roxas looked at the steaks and realized they were perilously close to burning. "Oh!" He quickly yanked them out of the fire and Axel paused his work to come over and eat his. The steaks were tough and very gamy, but to the two of them they were delicious. "We should be careful how many goats we hunt." Roxas remarked as he ate and Axel shook his head.

"They'll get harder to catch, and it's probably good for us to eliminate as many as we can. Goats are a pest on islands like this, they can kill off the forest if there's too many. Same for pigs." Axel swallowed a large bite of his steak, then shrugged. "They eat all the new shoots until there's nothing left but older trees. Dad and I participated in a hunt once to get all the goats off an island." That was how he knew a bit about how much goats and pigs could destroy islands like this.

"Oh, I see." They both ate in silence for a while before Roxas asked. "Axel, did you want to start teaching me karate tonight?" He was really eager to begin learning that. It wouldn't help against wandering, vicious pigs but it would be good if he ever got back to civilization. Roxas reflected for a moment on the irony. He was more concerned about getting hurt when he went home than he was here. Here, he was sure that Axel would do his best to protect him. The redhead took a deep drink of water before answering.

"Sure thing Roxas." Axel smiled at him and the blonde found himself dazzled by it. It was hard to believe that anyone could be so happy, so cheerful when he was stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a pocket knife and a lighter, but that was Axel. Roxas suddenly wondered if the redhead would have been nearly as cheerful alone. Probably not, Axel seemed like the kind of person who needed other people. That made him feel a bit better. He might not be as useful in the wilderness as Axel, but without him the redhead would probably be in a complete funk about now. And besides, he'd been the one to take out the goat. Roxas smiled at the thought. He'd never killed anything before and that bothered him a little, but he was mostly pleased that he'd been able to help.

Later that night, they began the karate lessons. It ended up in a lot of laughter and if there had been anyone to hear, they might have been a bit confused by Axel's attempts at mimicking the Karate Kid's mentor. Then they both went to sleep… for a time. Roxas woke up in the middle of the night and slowly sat up, blinking. Axel wasn't beside him anymore. The shelter was tight enough that they slept close together, and Axel wasn't in the shelter at all. But it was too early even for the redhead to wake up, and Roxas bit his lip, getting up and looking around.

It wasn't hard to find the redhead though. He was sitting against a tree, illuminated by the fire, his head in his hands. Roxas felt a trickle of fear. Axel was always so upbeat, what could be wrong?

"Axel?" Roxas kneeled beside the redhead and Axel started, lifting his head. There were tears on his cheeks and Roxas felt his stomach clench. "Axel, are you alright?"

"Y – Yeah, sorry." Axel quickly rubbed his cheeks, sniffing for a moment before managing a smile. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't… Axel, what's wrong?" Roxas gently touched the redhead's shoulder, trying to avoid the worst of the sunburn. Axel winced, looking down.

"It's… this is going to sound stupid." Roxas made an encouraging sound and Axel sighed. "I had a dream about my cat. Shroedinger. I was taking him to Vancouver with me, he was in the cargo hold." Axel's breath was coming faster and Roxas hugged him as his voice wavered. "I dreamed about him drowning. I couldn't save him, I could hardly save you…" Roxas nodded, cuddling Axel a bit. Saving him had been crazy but trying to save a cat from the cargo hold, well, that would have been utterly impossible. "It's stupid that it bothers me. Who knows how many people died, and I'm crying about my cat." Axel felt almost selfish, that he was regretting the loss of a pet when so many people had lost their lives. But he couldn't change how he felt.

"You loved your cat." Roxas pointed out. "You should mourn him. Don't worry about it, Axel." Axel hesitated, then sniffed and buried his head against Roxas' shoulder, letting the blonde comfort him. For a while they just sat together, holding each other, then Axel pulled away, rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks Roxas." He grinned tiredly then. "We should get back to sleep." It was still several hours before dawn. Roxas nodded and took Axel's hand, giving him a quick squeeze, and the redhead squeezed him back.

They would make it together.


	4. Confidence

_Introduced species are often very obvious. Goats, pigs, and Himalayan raspberries are all good examples of introduced species on tropical islands._

_However, some introduced species can be very small. Impossible to see, in fact, although their effects can be very large. Axel and Roxas had no way of knowing that the village on the island was abandoned due to such a species._

_Malaria isn't native to pacific islands, but it can be found there at times._

* * *

Three weeks later.

"Oh the moon was full and the color of blood the night the pirates came to the vampire club… the leader was tall and snide and slim, he looked like a gay Captain Morgan. Oh well he recognized a vampire from his school, he did something that was most uncool. He said hey everybody see the fool in the cape? His name is Bernie Weinstein and he's in the eighth grade!" Roxas sang to himself, loudly and completely out of tune as he scraped the meat out of a coconut with a sharp rock. He'd managed to make tools for himself to match Axel's knife, after a fashion, and was in a very good mood this morning.

"If you can't hit the notes can you at least scare them going by?" Axel asked waspishly, and Roxas paused. Normally the redhead would just be joking, but that tone was anything but friendly.

"What's your problem Axel?" Roxas asked irritably, turning to look at the older boy. Then his blue eyes sharpened in concern as he saw how pale Axel was and the sweat on his face. "Axel? What is the problem?" Roxas quickly stood as Axel leaned against a tree and shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I think I've got whatever bug you picked up, Roxy." Axel said tiredly and Roxas didn't bother to correct him. The nickname wasn't too bad when it was Axel saying it and it wasn't important compared to the redhead getting sick, anyway. Roxas had picked up a low grade fever but had recovered from it fairly quickly, in less than three days. Axel already looked worse and when Roxas touched his forehead, he was a bit alarmed by the heat radiating from him.

"You've definitely got a fever. Here, lie down and drink some water." Roxas grabbed his own canteen, hesitating before tearing a strip off his shirt and wetting it with water, laying it on Axel's forehead as the redhead lay down in the sand. Axel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a wan smile.

"Thanks Roxas." He murmured softly, reaching up and touching the cloth on his forehead. It felt good there, although the water was only lukewarm. Vaguely he wished they had ice, but that was as hopeless as wishing for the naked maidens. A painful headache was starting to build and he closed his eyes again, taking another drink from the coconut.

Roxas picked up the spear and decided to try his luck at fishing. He wasn't as good at it as Axel, really, but he'd learned quite a bit from the redhead. Soon he had a small fish, and that was all they needed really. The goliath grouper had been overkill. Even stuffing themselves, they'd just barely finished it before it went rotten. The same for the goat, although the hide they had gotten out of that had made it worth it. Roxas easily gutted and scaled it and soon had the fish toasting over the coals. He looked up, startled, as he heard the awful sound of someone being very sick. "Axel?" The redhead stumbled out of the bushes, sweating heavily and looking very pale as he slumped back down.

"Don't worry about it Roxas, I'll be fine." He said, his voice hoarse, and Roxas bit his lip before going back to the fish. He didn't believe Axel was fine but there wasn't much he could do about it, and maybe the redhead would be able to keep down some fish. He hoped. When the fish was done he brought it over but Axel just shook his head, refusing the food.

"You need to eat, Axel." Roxas said soothingly, putting a hand on the redhead's forehead and frowning at the heat there. "At least drink something." Axel nodded, taking the coconut and drinking some more.

By the time they walked back to the shelter in the woods, Axel's fever seemed to be going down a little but Roxas didn't trust it. The redhead was still peevish and was complaining about being in pain. Just muttering, really, but Roxas didn't think he was exaggerating.

"Just lie down, Axel. I'll take care of everything." Roxas promised, and he did. He lit the fire with the brand, building it up and fetching water and making food for them both as Axel fell into a fitful doze. Roxas felt vaguely surprised at how efficiently he'd managed everything, and it felt… good. It felt very good to know that he didn't _need_ Axel anymore, that he could take care of himself.

But that didn't mean he didn't want Axel. Roxas hesitated, then curled up beside the older boy, wincing at how sweaty he felt. Axel still had a low grade fever and was muttering in his sleep, tossing and turning. Whatever Axel had, though, he'd probably already caught it. So there wasn't too much danger that the redhead could infect him.

Things took an alarming turn the next day at the beach. Roxas was grilling a fish for breakfast when Axel began shivering.

"So cold…" Roxas looked up and was alarmed again by how pale the redhead was. Axel was sick, seriously sick, and it showed. Putting aside the fish he went to check on the older boy's temperature and swallowed. Axel felt hotter than he had the last day.

"You're hot, Axel." Roxas carefully wet down a cloth and put it on his forehead. Axel whimpered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Axel? Axel!" The redhead suddenly convulsed, almost hitting him. "Axel!" Roxas bit his lip and tried to make the older boy comfortable as he spasmed. He'd actually done a report once on epilepsy, so he knew better than to put anything in Axel's mouth. Despite myths to the contrary, he knew it was impossible for someone having convulsions to swallow their tongue. As soon as the fit was over, he turned Axel onto his left side, and just in time as Axel retched and vomited. Wincing, Roxas used several leaves to clean off the groaning redhead.

"Want to die…" Roxas gripped Axel tightly, shaking his head.

"You're not going to die." He said soothingly, and the older boy coughed, looking up at him with bright green eyes that were more than a little bloodshot.

"I know, I _want_ to…" That would have worried Roxas a bit more, but he could remember plenty of times he'd been sick and wishing exactly the same thing. Utter, absolute misery would do that. He gently petted damp red spikes as Axel let his head fall back, closing his eyes. Roxas dampened another cloth and set it on his forehead, wishing there was more he could do.

As the days wore on, Axel's condition only got worse. Roxas found that he had to help the redhead with everything and while it was alarming, it was also a huge confidence boost. He'd felt completely out of place at first, thrown into a situation that was utterly outside his comfort zone, but that was finally changing. At the moment he was the one in charge and Roxas didn't think the feeling would go away even when Axel was well again. If Axel got well again. Roxas refused to think about the redhead dying, but the thought occurred to Axel.

"Roxas." Axel's voice was rasping as the blonde tried to make him drink some more water. Axel couldn't keep down any food, not for long, but he needed the water. Roxas swallowed as he saw the look in Axel's suffering green eyes. He looked pathetic, dark circles under his eyes and far too thin. He'd lost a disturbing amount of weight in the past couple days. "Am I going to die?"

"You're not going to die." Roxas said firmly, setting down the coconut and putting his arms around the redhead. He was a bit startled when Axel rested his cheek on his shoulder, and the blonde felt hot tears on his skin. He stroked the bright red hair again, reflecting that he was doing a lot of that lately. But Axel desperately needed the comfort.

"Hurts so much." Axel muttered, sniffing, and Roxas nodded. The older boy was suffering headaches and joint pains as well as the fever and nausea. "I feel like I could die." Roxas winced and cuddled him close, ignoring the heat rising from him.

"Just try to drink, Axel. You need the water." Axel weakly sipped the water as Roxas held it up for him. Roxas held him until he finally fell into a fitful doze and then he winces as the wind blew and a few fat droplets of water found their way into the shelter. "Not now…" But he couldn't stop the tropical squall from hitting the island. Roxas curled up around the redhead, blue eyes worried as he tried to shield Axel from the worst of the storm. Axel was shivering and muttering in his sleep, and Roxas blushed a little as he realized the redhead was saying his name. Roxas wondered what fever dream he was having… but he could hardly ask. Axel probably wouldn't even remember the next day.

The next day, Axel seemed to be feeling better despite the rain. His fever felt lower when Roxas touched his forehead, and he managed to accept a bit of coconut and keep it down as well as walk to the beach and talk a bit. Although Roxas could have done without that last part.

"Chicken soup." Axel mused to himself. "Tea with lots of honey in it. Those wonderful little badenburg cakes my mother made, the ones filled with apricot jam and coated in marzipan-"

"Axel, if you keep talking about the foods you want to have, I'm going to bean you with the ones we DO have." Roxas lifted a coconut threateningly and Axel laughed, pushing back tousled red hair. He was starting to look like he desperately needed a haircut. "Have I ever told you, you talk too much?" Roxas was sure he had but it seemed like a point worth revisiting. Axel grinned, green eyes tired but lively.

"You might have mentioned that a time or two." Axel leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes for a moment. "I feel weak as a kitten but so much better. You're right, I talk too much. My memory also stinks, I have to write down everything in my blackberry or I forget to put my pants on in the morning." Roxas had to suppress a treacherous image of Axel pantsless. Then he giggled at the thought of Axel turning up at a wedding photo shoot sans pants. That would probably go down really well with the bride.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." He murmured and met bright green eyes, feeling a spark of heat between them. But no matter what, nothing was going to happen between them today. Even if Axel had been totally willing he was still feeling far too ill to even consider it, Roxas was sure.

"So am I. I'll never doubt you again." Axel promised and Roxas snorted, shaking his head with a grin.

"Lies. Here, have some coconut." Axel munched on the sweet nut meat, smiling as Roxas easily gutted a fish, scaled it and put it out over the fire. The blonde was looking really good. Axel just watched him for a while… his shirt was badly torn now, revealing more than it hid, and he could see that Roxas had put on muscle and was looking nicely tanned. Axel had to swallow his coconut a bit hastily as Roxas pulled the fish out of the fire and nibbled on it. He looked so cute, his blonde hair bleached even blonder by the sun, rosebud lips parted as he nipped the hot fish.

_Gah!_ Axel looked down, embarrassed. The kid was only fourteen! Still…

"You know, you're different." He suddenly said, and Roxas looked over, a bit puzzled. Different?

"How so?" He knew he'd put on muscle and had learned a lot about wilderness survival and karate. He would have been enjoying the stay on the island if they hadn't been marooned… and if it hadn't been for Axel's life threatening illness. That had been frightening. Axel shrugged and smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, just, you seem older now." Axel wasn't sure why but the blonde seemed more mature than he had when they first met. Roxas just stared at him a moment, then slowly grinned.

"Like, oh, sixteen?" He said teasingly and the redhead choked, then laughed.

"I wish you were!" Although Axel was beginning to wonder how much it mattered. It had been over a month and no one had found them. Did it really matter how old Roxas was? Axel was unhappily sure that he really could have died, that fever and sickness had been intense. Next time he might not be so lucky, did he want to waste this chance? Shoving aside the thought, Axel stood shakily, and walked down the beach. He felt so weak and had to come back quickly, sitting down heavily near the fire. Roxas looked at him in concern as he picked up the coconut and took a drink.

"Just weak." Axel reassured him and Roxas looked relieved. "The headache's gone and I feel like the fever's broken." It was going to take days for him to get better but he was sure he was on the mend. Axel glanced around the beach, just enjoying the white sand, the gloriously blue sky and the brilliant sun. If only they'd had a resort with proper food and medical care, he'd have been content to stay here forever. It was like Hawaii, only far more pristine and without the annoying tourists. "D'you think someone will find us, Roxy?" Axel suddenly felt a surge of homesickness. He wanted a camera in his hands, eggs for breakfast and no worries about life threatening diseases and injuries. If one of them got an infected cut what would they do here? Besides die? Axel blinked and looked up as he felt Roxas' hand on his arm and met beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm sure they will, Axel. And if they don't, we'll look out for each other." Axel nodded. Roxas had looked out for him and he'd survived. Hopefully, their luck would continue to be good. There was no real reason they couldn't live here safely forever, if it came to that.

"Yeah, we'll look out for each other." That made him feel good. When they'd first met maybe Axel wouldn't have trusted Roxas to do that, but he certainly trusted the blonde now.

It was a good feeling.


	5. Sex on the Beach

"Char-broiled goodness on a sesame seed bun," Axel mused, gazing out over the deep blue sea and soft sands of the beach. "Tacos full of ground meat and fresh veggies and sour cream with hot sauce… mmm… A Dairy Queen Cookie dough blizzard with extra dough. Raw cookie dough, god. Pho from the Pho Hut, with tripe and sliced beef. Fried chicken – OW!" Axel rubbed his head as a coconut went rolling across the sand. It hadn't been thrown at him particularly hard but it still stung.

"I told you to stop that." Roxas said, irritated. "You're making me drool!" After a diet of mostly fish and fruits, with the occasional chunks of seared goat, he wanted nothing more than a good sub from Subway. Although a blizzard sounded really good too. "What is Pho?" Whatever it was, he was sure Baton Rouge had it somewhere but his parents were completely unadventurous when it came to food.

"It's this great Vietnamese soup." Axel was more than happy to explain. Pho was one of his favorite foods. "Soup base in a bowl and another bowl full of bean sprouts, asian basil and stuff, a bunch of sliced beef and noodles. And tripe slices, if you like that." Roxas made a face at that. He had tried tripe once and it had been very chewy. "The beef is raw. What you do is you take the noodles, veggies and beef and put them in the broth gradually as you eat. The heat of the broth cooks the beef a little. It's absolutely great." Roxas blinked at the image.

"Sounds good. If I get to join you in Vancouver you'll have to show me that." He was glumly certain the sun would rise in the West before he could convince his mom and step-dad to go to a Vietnamese place. They went exactly one place on the rare occasions they went out for food, the diner down at the corner. Which was great value for the money, he supposed, but boring as hell after a while.

"I'd love to take you there." Axel said sincerely. He was looking forward to introducing the blonde to all sorts of things, if he got the chance. Roxas glanced up with a smile, and Axel found himself captivated by his big blue eyes and how happy the boy looked. He was like a ray of sunshine – until Roxas reached over and looped a finger under his necklace, dragging him closer. Out of boredom, Axel had fashioned himself a necklace made out of vine and seashells.

"Cool. But don't mention it again until we get back to civilization, or you'll be wearing a broken coconut." Roxas promised and the redhead grinned.

"I get it, I get it! I know, I'm annoying. My last girlfriend broke up with me over it." Axel sighed as Roxas eyes him curiously, wondering how anyone could break up with the hot redhead over something so petty. Although, Axel could be really annoying at times. "Although, to be honest, I kind of wanted to break up with her too so I think I went out of my way to irritate her." Roxas smiles and shook his head. That would do it.

"Just don't do that with me or I'll shove your head down a toilet and flush." He commented as he slowly built a sand castle. It was silly, but it was something to do. Axel laughed.

"First off, we'd need a toilet, and second we'd have to be dating. I don't think hunting goats' together counts as a date." Axel's mind wandered to something else as Roxas tried to put a turret on his castle. "Oh hey, did I tell you about the time mom got reported to CPS?" That got his attention.

"No, what happened?" That was interesting. From what Axel had told him so far, Roxas had formed the impression of a loving but slightly bossy mother and a very involved when he was there father. Unfortunately, Axel's mother couldn't follow him on every deployment and there had been a fair amount of separation from his dad. But they'd still been very close. Nothing sounded remotely abusive.

"Me, mostly." Roxas looked confused as Axel grinned. "You should have seen me when I was two Roxas. I managed to hurt myself so often we should have gotten frequent flyer miles at the emergency ward. Let me see… I broke my arm falling off a swing. I cut open my arm falling out of my bunk bed, I burnt my hand on the stove, I almost electrocuted myself playing with a light socket and I dislocated my shoulder playing with rope." Roxas stared at the catalogue of injuries.

"Were you trying to kill yourself?" It sounded like he'd had a good go at it. Axel laughed and shook his head.

"No, I just had the attention span of a fruit fly and more energy than you could believe. Anyway, the doctors started getting suspicious, hard to blame them really, and CPS came out to visit my mom. They had several inspections and visits before I kinda saved the situation." Axel ran a hand through his hair and pointed at a faint scar at his hairline. "I ran into the room while the CPS lady was there, tripped over my own feet and dinged my head on the coffee table. It didn't really have sharp edges but I still managed to rip my head open and they both had to rush me to the emergency ward again. After that, they were more willing to accept that I was just a crazy critter." Axel grinned then, eyes twinkling. "They did make mom take me to a doctor and child psychologist to make sure nothing was wrong. They thought I'd grow out of it, and I did. By four I wasn't tearing myself up anymore."

"Wow." Roxas felt vaguely impressed. He'd only had one major injury so far, a broken leg, although he'd gotten plenty of bruises and bloody noses in fights. And from his mom and step-dad. "Maybe you have ADD or something."

"Maybe." Axel agreed, then shrugged. "But if so I'm getting by just fine. I just make sure to write everything down and check my blackberry every day." Roxas nodded. If Axel had some kind of problem, it had to be pretty mild and he was managing to cope with it. "You got any cool stories about Baton Rouge?"

"Uh, sure." Roxas tried to think of something then grinned as he remembered. "There was a time me and a friend built a potato cannon. We had a ton of fun with it until we accidentally broke a window. His parents were really upset." The blonde sighed a little as he remembered. He'd been banned from his friends' house after that and they'd gradually drifted apart. By high school they hadn't really known each other anymore. It was a shame. "Yeah… other than that, my life's been pretty boring. Well, I did almost drown once but that was my own fault."

"Oh? What happened?" Axel walked over and started helping with the sand castle as they talked. There really wasn't much else to do, and it looked like fun. "Want a moat?"

"Sure. Well, we were at a park-" Roxas and Axel kept exchanging stories as the day went on. A few times Roxas was tempted to open up completely to the redhead, but resisted the urge. There were things Axel didn't need to know about his past. Things no one needed to know, really.

"This is amazing." Axel admired their finished product. The sand castle was looking really good considering it had been made by hand. There were stairs, turrets and Roxas had decorated the edges with little sand balls. The final result was one of the prettiest sand castles Axel had ever seen.

"Well, it's something." Roxas smiled then blinked as he felt warm arms around him. Then he relaxed into it, enjoying being held. It always felt so good, when Axel did something like this, and Roxas found himself nestling against the older boy's chest. "Axel? Want to stay at the beach tonight? It's a perfect day." They had almost full coconuts and they could always go back to the well tomorrow. And they wouldn't need shelter tonight. Axel considered it then nodded.

"Sure, why not?" The sand would be a lot softer than the dirt of their hut. Axel hesitated, looking at soft gold hair. He really wanted to touch it. Finally he decided to handle that by just doing it, and Roxas glanced up at him as he ruffled those blonde spikes. "Heh, sorry, couldn't resist – mph?" Roxas gripped his necklace and pulled the surprised redhead down into a kiss. It was a slow, sweet kiss and Roxas finally drew back, slightly flushed and breathing quickly.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." He said teasingly then swallowed at the look in Axel's eyes, the desire there. "Axel?"

"I have to be honest, Roxas. I don't want to resist." Axel said softly before catching Roxas' lips in another slow, gentle kiss. He'd had time to think about things since his illness and had finally decided that the only sensible thing to do was live in the moment. He wasn't sure how long they had been on this island but it had been too long. There couldn't be anyone looking for them or they would have been found. They parted for a moment and Roxas took a deep breath, feeling a shiver of anticipation and a tug of desire that made his pants feel too tight. "If you're still interested."

"Are you nuts?" Roxas growled softly and Axel's green eyes widened before he grinned. Roxas sounded so cute when he growled. "Of course I am! I've only been trying to seduce you for weeks." Axel blinked and the grin slid away as he thought about that.

"You… evil kid! That's why you've been eating your fish like that." Roxas smiled as Axel laughed, but didn't deny it. It was nothing but the truth. "Damn, I had no idea. Well then…" Axel peeled away the remains of Roxas shirt in a few easy moves. Roxas vaguely wondered why he was bothering wearing it anymore, but that thought was easily chased away as Axel nuzzled him, kissing his throat and exploring sensitive skin. Roxas sighed, exploring Axel back and finding the redhead felt just as good as he'd expected, muscles still well defined despite his illness. Blue eyes met vibrant green and Roxas felt his breath catch in his throat. He wanted Axel more than he'd ever wanted anyone in the world and from the look on his face, Axel felt the same. The redhead's nimble fingers found his zipper, undoing it easily and pulling it down. There was no underwear; they'd both given up on those weeks ago.

Soon they were both naked on the beach, and Axel buried his face against Roxas neck, just breathing in his scent. There was nothing artificial anymore, no deodorants or perfumes, just musk and sweat and the smell of the sea. He licked the sensitive skin, making Roxas moan and arch against him. Axel could feel the boy's arousal against him, but he had another plan in mind. He flipped Roxas over and felt the blonde stiffen a bit.

"Axel, I'd rather – uh?" Roxas blinked as he felt hot breath against his ass. "What are you – oh!" Roxas gasped as he felt Axel's tongue in a place he'd never, ever expected it to be. "Wh-what…?" He wasn't a virgin and thought he understood everything about sex, but what was this? And why did it feel so good when Axel – Roxas moaned softly, deep in his throat as the redhead licked his opening then gasped as his tongue darted inside, stimulating him in a way that was familiar but oh, so different. Axel pulled away for just a moment to speak.

"S'called a rim job, Roxas." Axel said with a grin, then went back to what he was doing as the blonde gave a soft, needy sound. The sounds Roxas was making were just so sexy, and it got better as Axel slid a hand between his legs, fingers lightly ghosting over his sack before finding his hard, throbbing length and stroking it. Roxas was gasping now, panting and trembling in pleasure and desire as he knelt in the sand.

"Axel." He gasped out as Axel's fingers found his slit, playing with the tip. "I can't take much more, ah!" The sensations were too overwhelming, the feeling of Axel's tongue inside him, touching those sensitive parts as his hands did their magic. If the redhead kept this up he was going to come, and he didn't want that. Roxas wanted to feel Axel inside him. The stroking suddenly stopped and Roxas groaned as Axel pulled back.

"Right." Axel said, his voice heavy with desire before he spat in his hands and smeared it over his cock. Axel would have given anything for a bottle of lube at this moment, but alas, that was completely out of the question. He only hoped that combined with the licking, this would be enough. Gripping Roxas' hips, he carefully made his way inside his tight, hot body. Axel halted at every sign of pain, pausing to stroke Roxas' erection, keeping him hard and needy as he slowly sheathed himself in the younger boy. Finally he was fully inside and Roxas was panting again, trembling with need and it was like they just _fit_ together so perfectly. Like lock and key, like bread and butter, like – like – Roxas ran out of metaphors as Axel hit that special spot inside him and made him cry out at the pleasure of it. It was just so _good_, Axel behind him, filling him, the sweat dripping down onto him and a warm hand on his cock as Axel kissed the back of his neck, lightly caressing that pleasure point with his tongue. With what little coherent thought that was left, Roxas wondered how Axel had known about the back of his neck. He'd always loved being touched there…

"Axel. _Axel._" Roxas gasped out the older boy's name as the pleasure reached a peak, the heat coiling in his belly and demanding a release. Axel groaned, thrusting in harder and faster and Roxas was sure he was nearing his release too.

"Roxas." That husky, breathy voice in his ear was the last push and Roxas let go, letting the heat flow out of him and into the sand below him in a moment of pure, orgasmic pleasure. He thought he might have screamed although he wasn't sure, but he was sure of what he heard next. "Roxas, yes, god, _yes!_" Axel thrust in one last time, and Roxas gasped a little as he felt the redhead's hot release inside him. The other times he had done this that part had made him feel… a little sick actually. But with Axel it just felt a bit messy, but nice. He felt Axel kissing the back of his neck again, licking away beads of sweat and caressing him before slowly easing away. Roxas flopped down onto the sand, feeling almost boneless after that glorious experience. A warm arm slid around him and he sighed, gripping Axel's arm as the redhead snuggled up behind him.

"Axel?" Roxas murmured drowsily. "Never been licked like that before. You do that often?" The blonde couldn't imagine doing it to someone else, but being on the receiving end had been nice. Axel chuckled softly and Roxas shivered as he felt the warm breath against his ear.

"Only if I really like someone." He murmured and Roxas couldn't help but smile. "It's a little unusual, maybe, but I like it. My first girlfriend had a thing for it." Roxas blinked, a little surprised that a girl would find that pleasurable. But then, he knew absolutely nothing of girls. Then he frowned as something occurred to him.

"Axel, how many girlfriends have you had?" His new lover was only nineteen but it sounded like he'd gotten around a bit. There was a brief silence behind him.

"Three. And two guys, although one of the girls and one of the guys were just one night things. Does that disgust you?" Axel said it lightly but Roxas could catch the undertone of hurt.

"Uh, no." Roxas abruptly remembered his own past. He was the last person in the world to cast stones. "I mean, I'm fourteen and not a virgin so… yeah." He shrugged a little and Axel laughed, relaxing a bit and nuzzling his cheek.

"Sorry to be a bit sensitive. One guy I knew really held it against me." Axel's eyes darkened for a moment as he remembered that abortive attempt at a romance, but then he yawned. "So tired."

"Then sleep." Roxas whispered, and Axel smiled, cuddling the little blonde to his chest before letting himself doze off.

This was a good beginning.


	6. Typhoons Really Blow

Axel idly chewed on a piece of fish as he looked at the waves. There was some serious surf building and he didn't like the way the sky looked at all. Roxas was asleep on the beach but a few fat raindrops were beginning to fall and Axel didn't think the blonde would be asleep much longer.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. By the time either of them had thought about keeping track, the days had been hopelessly scrambled. But Axel was relatively sure it had been at least two months, perhaps as long as three. And now, some of his early worries were coming back to haunt him. The one thing he hadn't liked about the island was how flat it was and he was unhappily certain they were both going to be reminded why a lack of high ground was a problem. The sky looked really bad.

"Roxy, wake up." Axel gently shook his shoulder and the blonde yawned cutely. Axel smiled at that but the smile faded quickly. "We have a storm coming in."

"Huh? Oh, not again." Roxas complained as he sat up then stared. "Uh…" Axel nodded grimly. They'd weathered storms before but the sky had never looked quite like this. "Tell me this isn't a hurricane?"

"We're on the wrong side of the globe for a hurricane. It would be a typhoon. They're worse." Roxas glared at him and resisted the urge to hit the redhead. It wouldn't help and it wasn't his fault anyway. Axel grinned at the expression on his face. "Sorry Roxy. But that's nothing but the truth. We need to get back to our shelter." It was a little higher and shaded by plenty of trees. They would probably survive, the pigs and goats survived, but Axel was glumly certain that they were in for an extremely unpleasant experience. He carefully tucked his lighter and pocket knife into his pants pockets, thanking god that they were deep pockets. There was no way the fire was going to stay lit so they would need the lighter after this.

The storm hit with the fury of a thousand enraged cats and soon Axel was holding tightly to Roxas, cuddling the smaller blond against his chest as their shelter was lashed with cold rain. They were desperately trying to stay warm but it was a losing battle against the chill spray.

"Shit." Axel muttered as water started creeping in. Roxas stirred, looking down at the water. It was already flowing over their legs.

"Storm surge. Axel, what should we do?" He asked the older boy, but Axel just looked at him helplessly. He only knew that typhoons were worse than hurricanes and high ground was best. Roxas stumbled to his feet, wincing at the rain. "C'mon, lets try to tie ourselves to a tree." It was the best idea he had and fortunately they still had plenty of hide rope. Roxas grabbed it as Axel staggered up, grabbing the edge of the shelter as the wind tried to push him over.

"This way!" Roxas grabbed Axel's hand and pulled the older boy with him, almost having to yell as the storm picked up. Axel tied Roxas to the tree first, knotting the cords expertly then following suit with himself, gripping the smaller boy tightly as the water swirled up to their thighs. The shelter was going to be completely wiped out by this but that was a minor concern. Axel grimaced then stuck one hand in his pocket, holding onto the lighter as he clung to Roxas with the other. The pocket knife they could live without, now that they'd gotten the knack of making stone tools, but they needed the lighter. Axel hid his face up against Roxas' as the blond hid his face against the tree.

Time passed impossibly slowly, and they could only tell the day was done by how the clouds seemed to darken. The rain didn't slacken and as things started going dark, the water reached Roxas' waist. Axel shivered violently as the rain whipped at him, so cold for a tropical storm. Roxas was a bit better off, sandwiched between the taller boy and the tree, but they were both freezing and miserably by the time the sky began to lighten and the winds slacken.

"That was really fucked up." Axel managed to say and Roxas glanced up, alarmed to see the redhead's lips were a bit blue from the cold.

"You okay Axel?" Roxas squirmed around, wincing as he tried to get the ropes undone. It wasn't easy, the knots had tightened from all the water and the hide hadn't exactly been in good condition to start with. Axel finally growled something and used his pocket knife to cut away the ropes. "You still have the lighter?" Right now he wanted nothing more than a good hot fire. Axel nodded.

"We'll never get a fire started now though. This whole place is soaked." Roxas spat a curse as he realized Axel was right. There was no way they were going to find dry wood for a day, possibly longer. "Don't worry about. The sand on the beach should dry up pretty fast, we can go sleep down there." Axel was in desperate need of sleep. They'd been standing against that tree all night and he was feeling beyond miserable at the moment. Roxas nodded wearily and the two of them stumbled out of the woods and down to the beach. Curling up beneath the shade of a coconut tree, they tried to sleep as the sun peeked out tentatively from behind breaking clouds.

"Axel? You're not sleeping, are you?" Roxas said after a while, and Axel sighed, opening his eyes. They felt gritty and prickly.

"I'm too tired to sleep. Pretty fucked up, huh?" He said tiredly and Roxas laughed. He knew the feeling.

"Me too. Let's just stay together." Roxas sighed as Axel cuddled him a bit, resting his cheek on the redhead's chest. "I love you Axel." Roxas froze as he realized what he'd said. He hadn't meant to say that, it had just come out. He glanced up worriedly, but saw only tender warmth in bright green eyes.

"I love you too, Roxy." Axel murmured, lips grazing his cheek and Roxas smiled as he felt like his heart could swell and burst. This wasn't the first time someone had said that to him, but it was the first time he returned the feeling and thought it was sincere. Axel closed his eyes, just enjoying the way Roxas felt against him. The little blonde fit neatly into his arms, head tucked just so against his chest.

It took a while for them to fall asleep, still chilled by the winds and battered by the rain, but eventually they did. And when they awoke, they both felt refreshed and almost good despite their ordeal.

"Was that really a typhoon?" Roxas wondered. It had been brutal but nowhere near deadly. Axel frowned.

"Probably a kind of weak one, but yeah, I'm pretty sure it was. Or it might have been a really bad tropical storm. Either way I don't want to see another." Roxas nodded feelingly. "Want some oysters for breakfast?" Axel didn't feel up to spear fishing and Roxas nodded. He didn't feel up to it either.

"Sounds great." The two of them waded into the ocean to plunder the oyster beds. With only two humans and very little predation before, they were still almost pristine. Soon they both had plenty and had fun breaking them open and slurping them down. Axel's knife was still the best way to open them, though. Roxas' stone tools tended to shatter the shells and leave bits of shell in the meat. "Um, Axel. There's something I really ought to tell you." Roxas swallowed. It wasn't something he was eager to share, but he was sure he could trust Axel now.

"What's that?" Axel said, cheerful and clueless as he slurped down another oyster. Roxas sighed, looking down and tilting a shell, admiring the play of colors as the sun hit it.

"I'm not a virgin because I had sex with my band teacher when I was twelve." He said bluntly and Axel coughed, spitting out his oyster. Roxas looked up to gauge his reaction and met shocked green eyes.

"Twelve? How old was this guy?" Axel questioned and Roxas winced.

"I don't know. Forty?" Axel growled something foul as Roxas looked away. "It wasn't really rape Axel. I mean, he took me places and bought me things and he – he said he loved me." Roxas swallowed as he remembered it. The sickest thing about it, he thought, was that it wasn't the sex that bothered him. It was the way it had ended and the way he'd realized the confessions of love had been a lie. He'd just been used.

"Did anyone do anything about this guy?" Axel was quietly furious, Roxas could see, and that actually made him feel sort of good. That Axel was willing to defend him, although it was much too late.

"No. I was already known as a disturbed, problem child so no one believed me." That still irked him. He'd had his problems but he hadn't been a liar. Of course, after that everyone had thought he was a liar too, saying such things about poor Mr. Shermann. "He transferred to another school, I don't even know where he is anymore. I don't want to know." There was nothing he could do about it anyway. Roxas blinked as he felt warm arms around him and looked up into Axel's face.

"That totally sucks Roxy. If you knew where he was, I'd kick his ass for you." Roxas blinked then chuckled, shaking his head.

"Just as well I don't know, then. You'd only get yourself in trouble." Roxas paused for a moment, looking down. "You're not disgusted?" That was the reaction he was afraid of, and he was tensed against the rejection… but then he relaxed as warm fingers stroked his hair, sliding down to the back of his neck. Roxas sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into that touch.

"Why would I be disgusted that you were seduced by a teacher? I just hope he used a condom." That was a bit of a concern. Roxas shook his head, not opening his eyes.

"No, but I got tested at a clinic last year." He'd thought about that after his unceremonious dumping. "I'm clean. You?" Roxas opened his eyes as he felt warm breath against his ear.

"I should be fine, I always used protection." Axel kissed his throat and Roxas shivered, feeling a flash of desire. "Except with you." Roxas sighed as Axel cuddled him for a moment. "And as much as I enjoy this, I can almost feel my skin sizzling. We should get into the shade." Despite their tans, they could still burn and Axel had no desire to add more peeling skin to his already admirable collection. Roxas blinked then laughed.

"So romantic! Good idea though." They made their way back to the shade and finished off the oysters, just enjoying each others company.

By the next day they had their fire burning again, although it was very smoky. That was probably a good thing, and Roxas sang to himself as he fed it more branches.

_Well, I went down to Mos Eisley for a converter  
Hell, ya know how hot it gets on Tatooine  
Well then I saw that there cantina  
I'll go in for an Orangina  
I heard it was rough but how bad could it be?_

_Well I walked through the door and the music stopped--dead  
All manner of man and beasts were starin' at me  
Seems just one week before their Twi'lek slave girl walked out the door  
And I guess I was the next best thing they'd seen._

_I lost more than my heart in that cantina  
I left my manhood there on Tatooine  
Son, it don't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek  
But if you spread 'em both for Jabba, son, you ain't a man!_

_I was hit over the head by ol' Han Solo  
I'da never guessed that pirate was a homo  
I woke up next to Chewbacca  
I was smeared in Wookie caca  
And what they did to my poor nipples was a no-no!_

_Ol' Greedo greedily grabbed his green weenie  
And he yanked that sucker til it wasn't so teenie  
He pulled me into Jabba's hut  
He stared intently at my butt  
And then he oota-toota'ed me with his zucchini – _

Axel had been staring dreamily up at the clouds, but the song finally penetrated his awareness, and not because of the lack of tune. "Roxas. Is that song really about some dude getting assraped by all the characters of Star Wars?" Roxas looked up from the fire with a grin.

"You bet it is! Want to hear the rest?" Axel looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or be appalled, and he finally settled on laughter.

"Sure, why not?" He'd never imagined a song like that even existed, and the fact that it was so country made it even better. Roxas hummed then sang again.

_Well, a guy walked up and said "My friend doesn't like you."  
I said 'Sorry.'  
He said 'I don't like you either, you better watch your self!' - I think his name was Tom Waits  
And then some old dude who taught Vader  
Chopped his arm off with a sabre  
That later made for one red hot anal invader - owwwww_

_I was broken on the floor beat to a stupor  
Then I was saved! There at the door were 10 storm troopers!  
But then my hope faded away,  
I didn't know they cloned 'em gay  
And they each took turns storm troopin' me in the pooper_

_I lost more than my heart in that cantina  
I left my manhood there on Tatooine  
Son, it don't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek  
Which is why I still go there every week!_

"Psh, he secretly loved every moment of it." Axel commented as Roxas laughed. "Why else would he go back every week? Nice song Roxy."

"Voltaire is the best, I have all his songs. Pirated, mind you." Roxas just didn't have the money to get all the music he wanted. Axel laughed.

"I'm sure Voltaire appreciates that!" Axel picked up a piece of coconut, popping it in his mouth and chewing… then suddenly sitting up. "Holy fucking SHIT!" Roxas stared at him as Axel bounced up and waved his arms, then turned to look at the ocean and gasped.

"Oh my god!" It was a ship going past, a big ship. If only they could catch attention! Roxas threw some water on the fire, enough to throw up a great cloud of smoke without putting it out. For a moment he thought it wouldn't work, but then the ship seemed to slow. Axel let out a whoop as a smaller ship was lowered into the water and Roxas grinned widely.

"Who are you people?" Someone from the little boat called as it pulled up, and a young man helped them on board. Axel felt almost faint with relief. The island had been wonderful in some ways, but getting back to civilization was just amazing.

"I'm Axel Bashanova and this is Roxas Gray. We were on Flight 288." Axel said, and had the satisfaction of seeing jaws drop. The people manning the boat were all in uniforms, he noticed. Crystal? He'd never heard of it, but he was going to be blessing it forever now.

"There were supposed to be no survivors from that crash. Amazing!" The rescue boat got underway, heading back to the ship, and Axel blinked as he saw all the curious people on the deck. This was a cruise ship! Not only were they heading back to civilization, they were going back in style. "You'll have to come with us to Auckland, probably. The consulate there will be able to get you back home." Axel grinned widely, putting an arm around Roxas, who smiled.

"I've always wanted to see Australia." Actually, he'd never felt that particular desire. But right now, it sounded like the best thing in the world.

This was going to be an amazing trip.

* * *

"This is amazing Axel." Roxas had never been on a cruise ship in his life and had had no idea what to expect. He hadn't expected this degree of luxury. They had been put in one of the few unoccupied quarters on the ship, and it had turned out to be a surprisingly nice cabin with a balcony. They were being treated pretty much like passengers, although they couldn't purchase anything. But the other passengers were agog and were often willing to treat them to a few drinks at the bar. And all of the things that didn't require payment, like the pool and buffet, were open to them. Axel had finally gotten his hamburger although it had been a much better one than Burger King would ever offer.

"You have no idea Roxy." Roxy eyed him curiously as Axel held up a brochure he'd found somewhere. "This isn't just a cruise ship, it's an _expensive_ cruise ship. Top of the line, good as it gets. And we're on their world tour ship. Man, I could never afford this in my life." Well, that wasn't exactly true. He could have afforded one of the shorter trips if he'd saved for some time, but for Axel it just wouldn't have been worth it. The amount it would take could easily fund three or four normal vacations for him. As for the world tour, he really couldn't have afforded that in his life. Although that was largely due to the sheer length of the full world tour.

"Oh. That must be why everyone is so much older." It was a stretch to say the people on the ship were all elderly, but none of them were young. Mature was the best word for it. Roxas thought the youngest person he'd seen had been thirty-five. Most were over fifty-five. Axel nodded.

"Only the older folks and independently wealthy get that much time off work." A younger, successful professional might be able to afford the cash but probably couldn't afford the time. "Still, this is really awesome. Enjoy it Roxas, we'll never see a trip like this again." Axel said with a grin. Roxas laughed but then turned serious.

"Axel? When we reach Auckland, they're going to send me back to Baton Rouge and you to Vancouver. We – we might never see each other again." Roxas felt his breath catching in his throat and swallowed as Axel winced, standing up and walking over to sit beside him, gently taking his hand. They had twin beds, but they rarely used both of them.

"Roxy. Look at me." Axel gently cupped Roxas' cheek, looking deeply into vulnerable blue eyes. "You've got my e-mail address and I've got yours. As soon as I have a new cell phone, I'll send you my number. We'll keep in touch and when you're out of the home, I'll send you the money to come to me if you still want to and sponsor you for citizenship. Although mom might have to adopt you to do that." Roxas blinked at the thought.

"That would make us brothers, technically. Gross Axel." Although he'd be willing if it let him come to Canada. Axel shrugged with a grin.

"Hey, whatever works." Axel gently stroked soft blonde spikes as Roxas leaned against him, closing his eyes. "Don't worry, we'll make it." He wasn't looking forward to being separated from Roxas for several years, maybe even as long as four, but he'd take it for as long as he had to.

One way or another, they would make it together.


	7. Momma's a Bad Girl

Roxas swallowed hard, almost crushing the small piece of paper in his hand as the plane came in for a landing.

It had been hard parting from Axel. But they had both gone to San Francisco, then taken connecting flights to their individual destinations. It had been even harder because they hadn't wanted to make their affection too public, with all the people around. But Axel's gentle hug had been more than enough for Roxas. And the paper with his e-mail address on it was priceless.

Now he would be seeing his family again. Roxas felt slightly sick at the thought and for one brief moment, wished deeply for the simple island with its warm sands and Axel's fierce, uncomplicated love for him.

"Roxas!" His mother was there waiting for him when he got off the plane, and Roxas was unhappily aware of the camera crews filming the reunion. He and Axel had caused a minor sensation. The story of their survival on the island was the sort of thing stories were made of, literally. There were plenty of romantic novels about situations like that, although they'd usually involved a guy and a girl rather than two guys. That part was a little different. "Baby, how are you!" She hugged him and Roxas caught a whiff of alcohol. Gods, it was only midmorning.

She was a middle aged, blonde haired woman and Roxas had been told she'd been pretty once. Now she was getting washed out and tired with age, constant work and of course the alcohol. Her smile at him was kind but he didn't trust it. She was always sweet when she was just a little tipsy. Things got ugly when she was really drunk.

"Roxas." The blonde turned his attention to his step-father. He had a much darker complexion than his mother, with thick black hair and bushy eyebrows. Anyone who looked at the three of them together knew that he wasn't Roxas' father.

"Jeffrey." Roxas said neutrally. He hated and feared his step-father more than his mother, but there was no point in showing it. Still, he was damned if he'd ever call the man father. There was an interview then but his mother did most of the talking, simpering about how good it was to have him back. It made Roxas want to throw up. Could they be anymore fake?

Finally they were heading home, and Roxas realized as they drove that his own feelings had undergone a great change. In the past, he would have been scared and dreading returning to his home. That was how he'd always felt when he had to come back from Hawaii… his real father might not have cared much for him, but he wasn't into booze or hitting. But now, resentment and anger were burning. The fear was still there, but it was less, and Roxas thought he knew why. He felt more confident, more certain of himself, and leaving the island couldn't take that away.

"You've missed quite a bit of school Roxy. The teachers say you'll have to take special classes to catch up." Roxas winced faintly at the echo of Axel's voice touched him. Axel had liked that nickname too, not knowing that his parents had always used it.

"Right." He wasn't looking forward to that either but at least it made sense. Maybe he'd even try to work at it now. He had a bit of motivation and it would be nice to graduate for Axel. Roxas had never really cared about the future when it seemed like he didn't have a future, but if he was going to go live with Axel he'd like to have an okay job. Something to put him on even footing with his lover. Axel might not care, but he would. His mother shot him a slightly surprised glance at the lack of resistance to the idea. His step-father said nothing as he pulled the car up to the house.

Things felt oddly surreal for the next couple weeks. Things went back to normal, only they weren't. The shabby, slovenly house didn't seem like the place he belonged anymore. His room didn't seem like the place he lived anymore, just the place he was staying on the way to somewhere else. He did his schoolwork and retreated to his room, and for his parents out of sight was out of mind. For now, at least. And when he was in his room…

_Roxy! How are you? _Roxas smiled as he typed a message back. He had his own computer, a crappy old thing but it still got onto the internet. Axel had gotten a new blackberry and could be counted on to answer a message anywhere he went.

_Doing good. My teachers are happy with me so far. _He doubted that would last but for now it was nice. He'd always had a reputation as a troubled child but his 'ordeal' seemed to have helped with the teachers. It had even helped his popularity with the other students, plenty of them wanted to hear all about his adventure. But he doubted that would last. _How's your business doing?_ Axel was hard at work promoting himself and getting his photography career in Vancouver off the ground.

_Great! I'm doing a wedding on Saturday and another on Sunday. Not just that, I've gotten some modeling work for a known studio._ Roxas smiled. He could almost hear Axel's enthusiasm over the messenger program. _It's going to be awesome. Hey, want to see some pictures?_

_Sure! _Roxas grinned as Axel shot him a link to his blog. It was full of photographs of Vancouver, and they were all professionally done. Although… _What IS that?_

_I'm not sure, can you tell me? I found it at a local bakery._ Axel replied innocently as Roxas studied the cake, trying to figure out what it was representing. Earwax? A fetus covered in slime?

_I have no idea but I think someone ought to tell the bakery that drug testing is a good thing. _Roxas could hear Axel's laugh in his mind.

_Yeah, I've already submitted it to cake wrecks. So have your parents been treating you okay?_

_Pretty much. They've just been ignoring me._ That was how Roxas liked it. But unfortunately, this was nothing unusual, just the calm before the storm. Eventually he'd get sucked into their problems and he knew it. The thought brought back the resentment and anger and Roxas wasn't sure what he'd do when it happened. Because he was done cowering. _Don't worry about it Axel. If you were here with me right now I'd – _Roxas grinned as the chat quickly got X-rated. Although it quickly started to get absurd when Axel sent him back a _pant pant aroo! Wait I'm at a photo shoot and you're making me tight in the pants! _Message.

_I just miss you too much to hold back – um, gotta go later._ Roxas quickly shut down the program as he heard a crash from downstairs. Something bad was happening. He could hear the shouts. But maybe if he stayed in his room they would leave him out of it.

That hope was dashed as his step-father suddenly barged into his room. Roxas stood, balancing easily on his feet as Axel had taught him. He'd kept practicing even without the redhead and hadn't forgotten much.

"You useless little fucker!" His step-father was drunk and his mother was sobbing incoherently somewhere, just as drunk. Wasn't it lovely when two drunks got together? Not really. "You're nothing but a damned money sink!" So the fight was about money. Again. That was a favorite theme. "You were worth more for the life insurance." Roxas dodged as a fist flew out at him, fast. He felt it skim by his cheek. "Little fag, I bet you were playing with that redhead –"

"Shut up!" Roxas spat. "You don't know anything about Axel. He's a hundred times the man you'll ever be – augh!" He wasn't fast enough this time and his step-father slammed him against the wall, the impact rattling his teeth.

"You f-ARGH!" His step-father wasn't expecting him to smash one of his feet in a hard strike then head butt him in the face. Roxas took advantage of the stunned moment to jab his step-father in the throat, hard. It wouldn't have worked on Axel but his step-father had always depended on his strength. Still, Roxas took a very painful blow to the face and could feel his eye swelling as his step-father took another swing at him.

Roxas had never done it before in earnest, but someone how did it perfectly. It should have been impossible after only three months of training, but in truth his step-father wasn't any good at fighting at all. Roxas caught his hand and managed to turn, slamming an elbow into the outside of his father's arm. By pure luck, he caught him directly in the elbow.

_**CRITCH**_ The sound of the elbow breaking was somewhere between a pop and a crunch and his step-father howled in agony, collapsing as Roxas just watched him for a moment, a little stunned but exultant. He'd really done it. Just like he'd always dreamed of-

"NO! Jeffrey! You evil brat!" Roxas had to dodge his mother as she slapped at him, running to his step-father's side. "Get out of here you little bastard! Oh, how could you!" Roxas grit his teeth. All the times he'd been beaten, but how dare he strike back? Grabbing his backpack he ran out of the house. "Don't come back!" Roxas was certain she meant that, and he didn't care. He couldn't stay anyway, there was no way his step-father would ever forgive him even assuming he recovered. Which he might not, not completely anyway. Axel had told him that breaking someone's arm like that was a crippling move.

"Fuck them." Roxas muttered as he ran, trying to find a pay phone. He wasn't worried about his parents calling the cops, they were not the kind of people to go to the police for anything. Too many skeletons firmly in the closets, he supposed. But he didn't have any money or anyplace to go. There was only one person he could trust to help him. Feeding a few dollars into a payphone, Roxas quickly placed a call.

"Hello?" Roxas smiled as he heard the familiar voice in his ear. It was so good to hear Axel again.

"Hey Axel, its Roxas." There was a surprised pause on the other end.

"Roxas? For real? Are you okay?" Axel was immediately concerned and Roxas didn't blame him. Roxas didn't have a cell and even if he had, calls from Baton Rouge to Vancouver would probably have been too expensive.

"Not really. I just got into a fight with my step-dad and broke his elbow." Roxas heard Axel draw in a breath and smiled a bit. "Don't worry, they won't call the cops. But I can't go home and I only have twenty bucks on me." It wasn't much. Roxas had no idea what he was going to do but he could almost feel Axel thinking about it.

"Okay Roxy. I think I know what to do, my dad did it for a buddy once who got in trouble with a prostitute in Thailand." Roxas blinked, making a mental note to get the details of that story. It sounded interesting. "Can you get to a Western Union?"

"Uh, I'm sure I can." Was Axel going to wire him money? Roxas was really vague on how that worked, he'd never had money sent to him before.

"Okay. Do you have any photo ID?" That was a really good question, but fortunately Roxas was able to respond to the affirmative. He had a passport and luckily, he'd never removed it from his backpack. "Excellent. Okay, I'm going to wire you two thousand dollars. Get a room at a hotel and I'll come get you." Roxas felt his breath catch in his throat. Was Axel serious?

"Really? You're going to fly down?" That was just amazing, but he heard Axel laugh.

"Not hardly. I'm going to drive. Getting you over the border without anyone noticing will be a helluva lot easier in a car." Axel's voice softened and Roxas swallowed, touched. "Don't worry Roxy, I'll be there soon."

"I'll be looking forward to it." He said with a hint of promise in his voice. "I'll call you as soon as I know where I'm staying, okay?"

"Okay. Go to the Western Union and I'll wire you the money as fast as I can." Roxas smiled as he hung up the phone, stunned and touched that Axel would do this for him. He knew Axel cared for him but to him, two thousand dollars was an unimaginable amount of money.

Axel was good to his word and after visiting the Western Union office, Roxas had more money than he'd ever touched in his life. Carefully concealing it in his backpack, he took the bus to a better part of town and checked into a rather nice Holiday Inn under a false name. His parents would never think to look for him here, since they knew he didn't have any money. Roxas glanced around his room then went to the phone, placing a call to Axel. After giving the redhead the address of the Holiday Inn, he went down to the restaurant to get supper, bringing his backpack with him. It wasn't going to get out of his sight now. He wasn't really aware of what he was eating, his mind caught up in the changes his life was undergoing so quickly.

It really was an amazing thing.

* * *

It took Axel over a week to arrive at Baton Rouge, but it was a long drive from Vancouver. Roxas was waiting in the lobby for him when the tired redhead came into the hotel and he bounced up with a wide smile, giving him an impulsive hug.

"Axel!" Then he blinked as someone else followed Axel in. "…?" It was a woman, much older than Axel but with identical red hair. Her green eyes were hard and not particularly happy as she looked at him and Roxas swallowed. This had to be Axel's mother. She was still beautiful in a hard edged way and Roxas could easily see Axel in her. She was tall and muscular just like him.

"Hey Roxy!" Axel wasn't caring about any possible tension and gave him a warm hug. "How's it been going?" Roxas felt his concerns melt away as he hugged Axel back, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Not bad, but it's better now that you're here." Roxas smiled as he heard Axel chuckle and looked up, meeting warm green eyes.

"I couldn't leave you here." Axel murmured, gently touching his cheek for a moment then turning slightly. "This is my mom, Roxy."

"Call me Luddy." She introduced herself with a smile that felt a little false to Roxas. "My real name is Ludmilla, but if you call me that I'll nail your ears to the wall." Roxas blinked at that threat and Axel laughed.

"She means it, too! Dad always called her that to piss her off." Axel confided in him, startling a giggle out of Roxas. Luddy just crossed her arms, giving Axel a patient but deadly look. "Uh, right. Want to get some food before we leave? I'm starving."

"Sure." Roxas actually wasn't hungry but Luddy and Axel had both been driving for a very long time. He was sure they could use a break.

"As soon as we're done here, we're leaving. I've taken too much time away from my business already." Axel's mother said as they found a seat. Axel shook his head.

"Mom, Charmain can run the toy store without you." Roxas couldn't help but feel interested in that. A toy store? He'd like to see that. "It's going to be fine and it's not like you had to come anyway."

"You would have pushed yourself too much, and I didn't spend eighteen years raising you to see you end up roadkill on the information superhighway." She picked up a plastic card, frowning for a moment at the menu. "Steak and eggs with coffee." She immediately ordered when the waitress come, and Axel shrugged and ordered the same thing. Roxas hesitated before ordering the nachos. They would make a good snack. "Here." She shoved something at him and Roxas took it with a blink. "Your SIN card."

"What! But how?" Roxas looked down at the card, completely confused, and saw it was made out to Devon Bashanova. "But you couldn't have adopted me, so how…" He felt like he was drifting out to sea. How had they gotten this? Axel's mother looked studiously away.

"I had a child who died soon after birth when Axel was just three. We named him Devon but never got a death certificate, and I, ah, applied for that during a particularly hard time." She paused for a moment, then continued reluctantly. "You can take it, use it, assume that identity. But you might have slightly bad credit." Roxas stared at her as Axel grinned.

"Pretty awesome, huh Roxy? Although now we'll officially be brothers, but we don't have to advertise it, hey?" Axel was unfazed by the revelations of his mother's larcenous past. He'd already found out when she suggested using the SIN. "You're just the right age for it too. It should go smooth as silk."

"I want you both to know, this doesn't mean I approve of this madness." Luddy said abruptly and Roxas winced. Axel's mom's opinion did mean something to him, since she was a person he'd be dealing with in the future. "You're too young. I don't care if it's technically legal." Roxas blinked.

"Technically legal?" He wasn't certain what she meant. Axel coughed, then shrugged a bit sheepishly.

"Yeah, I checked up on the laws about the age of consent in Vancouver. There's a same age exception to the law. As long as teenagers are within five years of each other, it's kosher. So there's nothing at I can be charged with in Vancouver." That had been a vast relief to him, to find out that fourteen and nineteen wasn't statutory rape. Roxas blinked, then grinned.

"Your computer search history must be really weird right now." He said teasingly, and Axel looked startled then grinned.

"Oh, it's an absolute cornucopia of perversion! You have no idea Roxy. Why, just yesterday I looked up unicorns mating. Did you know there are pictures on the internet? Pretty epic, I must say." Roxas laughed at that thought. It was funny because he was sure it was true.

"If it's on the internet, there is porn of it." Axel's mom said serenely and Roxas snorted his coke. "Why should unicorns be an exception? But tell me Axel, why were you looking at unicorns mating?"

"I plead the fifth." Axel hurried along as Roxas grinned. A bit uptight or not, Axel's mother seemed to be pretty cool. "So you ready to go?" They had done a good job of demolishing their food, and Roxas looked down at his nachos. He was only half done.

"I can get a box." It would be good to have it for later. Luddy nodded, standing up and stretching.

"I'm hitting the bathroom while you do that." Axel nodded and stood.

"Ditto. The car's outside Roxy, if you get done before we're back. It's bright red and looks like a banana boat, you can't miss it." Roxas felt a little bemused as he got a box for his food. It had been over a week since he'd been thrown out his parents' house and now he was going to Vancouver. What would Vancouver be like?

He didn't know, but he wanted to find out.


	8. Fin

Roxas ruffled his hair, looking in the mirror critically.

"I look like a tool." He grumbled then smiled as arms slid around him from behind, warm lips pressing a kiss against his temple.

"Are you insulting my hair color?" Axel said teasingly and Roxas laughed, looking at himself in the mirror again.

"No, but it looks natural on you even if it is freakish. It doesn't look natural on me." Roxas was beginning to think he should have aimed for a strawberry blonde instead of bright red. But bright red was what he'd gotten and unfortunately, his blonde hair had none of the slightly darker tones of Axel's. The end result was something you could see coming a mile away on a dark night.

"Ah, you're handsome no matter what your hair looks like." Roxas sighed and leaned back as Axel massaged the back of his neck. "I've been thinking about dyeing mine black." Roxas blinked then turned to glare at the redhead.

"Never! I love your hair." Roxas growled, running a hand through the red spikes and pulling Axel down for a passionate kiss. The redhead made a soft, surprised sound before returning the affection. "Have I told you, you look sexy today?" Roxas paused to admire his lover for a moment. It was nothing but the truth. Axel was wearing a brown denim shirt with a fleur de lis on the back, and matching brown slacks. It set off his tan and red hair nicely, along with a thick gold chain.

"Have I told you, you look kissable?" Axel countered and Roxas smiled. He wasn't dressed nearly as stylishly… he was going for the current teen fashions, which largely consisted of jeans and a baggy t-shirt. In Axel's opinion, he looked cute as a button.

"No, but you can tell me as much as you like." They nuzzled each other briefly before Axel sighed and pulled back, taking his hand.

"Well, it's time to go." Roxas nodded as Axel took him out to the car, which was known not so affectionately as the Red Banana. It was a vintage car, probably worth a lot but the size of it made parking a bitch. Axel had inherited it from his father, for whom it had been a prized possession, and it held a special place in the redhead's heart.

Roxas had been living in Vancouver for almost six months and he'd definitely found a place there. The city was huge, easily as big as Baton Rouge. Bigger really, given all the outlying areas like Richmond and Surrey. Axel's mother had made up a story about him being home schooled with her aunt due to family circumstances and always refused to explain what the circumstances were. Aunt Inga had cheerfully agreed to perjure her immortal soul if anyone questioned her about it. Roxas thought that if he wasn't gay, he'd have fallen in love with Axel's aunt. His mother could be intense and bossy but his aunt was as cheerful and fun to be around as Axel, but even wilder. Of course, she was a lesbian so he'd have been doomed to heartbreak.

Now he was going to school in Vancouver and while he wasn't making a lot of friends, he had a few. He'd gotten involved in band again, playing the French horn, and made good friends with a kid named Myde who loved to play the guitar but could also rip out some amazing stuff on the Sax. He was also friends with one of the flute players, a kid named Marly who had the most amazingly pink hair he'd ever seen. It was frightening.

"Hey Roxy?" Roxas blinked, coming out of his thoughts as they merged into traffic. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Their not worth that much." Roxas said as Axel laughed. "Just thinking about how much I like it here."

"Hey, that would be worth a penny – oh shit!" Axel swore as another car cut them off. "Stupid asshole! The banana will flatten you! FLATTEN!" Roxas snickered at the thought. He had no doubt the Red Banana could flatten a lot of cars. Sheer mass counted for a lot.

"That's the restaurant?" Roxas asked, interested, as Axel tried to find parking. It was a cute little place named West. He'd never heard of it but he wasn't much into restaurants outside of Axel's favorites, and the redhead had never brought him here before.

"Yeah, it's pretty expensive. But we're saying good-bye to Ienzo so we're going all out. He loves this place." Roxas nodded. Ienzo was a friend of Axel's, a quiet boy who'd just graduated and was going to live in Japan to teach English there. Roxas thought he'd be great at it if he could stand the people. That was the question though, Ienzo didn't suffer fools gladly. They would just have to see. "He's leaving next week but he wanted to have the party today. Hey Roxy, ya know, I was thinking." Axel said as he deftly maneuvered the banana into a parking space. "If you want to write to your dad, maybe you could get him to post the letter for you."

"From Japan?" That was an intriguing thought. Roxas felt a little guilty about his real father. Sure, he had been a total ass about putting his new girlfriend first but still. He was probably upset and worried about him. "Maybe." He hadn't dared send a letter from Vancouver. So far everyone seemed to assume he'd just run away like he had before, but a Vancouver postmark would point straight to Axel. And that could get all of them into immense trouble. But a Japanese postmark would just be confusing. "I'll think about it." He said as they walked up to the entrance to the restaurant. Roxas stared as he walked inside. The place was very colorful and bright but also very chic, with vases of flowers and some really interesting lighting fixtures. The tables all had wine glasses, something he'd never seen in a restaurant before. But then, his experience with restaurants was pretty much limited to roadside diners and Axel's pho place. Well, and some sushi restaurants, he'd gotten pretty fond of those.

"Axel!" Axel winced at the screech and Roxas grinned. That was Aunt Inga, her hair looking almost as day-glo neon as his own. She was a good friend of Ienzo's family although the boy himself looked like he would cheerfully deny knowing her if he thought he could get away with it. "Over here! We've been waiting for you." They were the last to arrive. Roxas picked up the menu and immediately felt intimidated by the descriptions and prices. Twenty dollars for an appetizer? Finally he settled on the most understandable, the seared ahi tuna appetizer. Axel immediately picked out the terrine of foie gras, and Roxas blinked at him, a touch surprised.

"I love foie gras, but can hardly ever get it." He explained with a grin. "Too expensive! But since we're here anyway…" He shrugged and Roxas nodded, understanding. The price difference between his choice and Axel's was only six dollars, so why worry? "Inga! Lay off the sauce, you're driving Roxas home, remember?" Roxas grimaced a little as he was reminded of that. Axel and the rest of the adults were planning to hit the bar after the wonderful meal. Roxas wasn't eager to go to a bar, but he couldn't, he was too young. He really didn't want Axel to go either but wasn't about to keep the redhead from his friends.

_Axel isn't a drunk. I don't have to worry._ He told himself firmly as he looked through the menu. But it still bothered him. His feelings towards alcohol were incredibly negative and Roxas doubted that would ever change. He never wanted to be like his mother. Axel was oblivious to his thoughts, chatting happily with Ienzo and his friends.

The meal was superb but Roxas felt a little left out by the end of it. He was the youngest person there and it was a little uncomfortable, but only a little. Inga and Axel both included him in the conversation and Roxas didn't really mind being a touch outside most of what was going on. It was good just to be there with Axel.

"That was a great meal." Roxas said with a smile as they were getting ready to leave, and gently touched Axel's shoulder. "You be careful getting home, okay?" Axel was giving several people a ride from West to the bar, and Ienzo's father would be the designated driver after that. His parents didn't live far from Axel, so they were planning to drop him off last then walk home. It seemed like an odd plan to Roxas, but everyone else seemed happy with it.

"I'll be fine Roxy, Dav and Mary can just pour me through the front door." Axel said cheerfully and Roxas fixed him with a stern look for a moment. Axel raised his hands pacifically. "I'll be good! I promise. You won't have to bail me out of jail, I swear."

"Good, because I wouldn't." Roxas said dryly as Axel winced, then grinned. "You'd have to just deal with the prison food and the guy named Bubba who wants to get to know you reeeeeally well."

"Ouch!" Axel took his hand for a moment, giving him a quick squeeze and caress before letting go. Roxas smiled brilliantly, wishing a bit that they could kiss goodbye… but everyone thought they were brothers and there was only so far they could go in public without getting squicky. But eventually Roxas would be eighteen and they were thinking of moving to the states and taking up his old identity when that happened. Then they wouldn't have to pretend to anything anymore, although Axel would be separated from his family again. Although the thought didn't seem to distress the redhead.

After aunt Inga had driven him home, Roxas played video games a while then went to bed. He wasn't expecting to be awoken early in the morning by something drunk and sloppy tumbling into bed with him.

"Axel!" Roxas half-shrieked as he was given a kiss that involved way too much drool. "Stop that!" His lover stank of alcohol and Roxas had to fight to hold back the bad memories. Axel smiled at him and his fears eased a little as he saw that the redhead seemed to be a happy drunk. Still. "You're drunk."

"I am not d-drunk!" Axel proclaimed too loudly. "I am shhhnozzled, toasted, trashed, shhit-faced, but not DRUNK! That is for slackers – ow!" Axel winced and rubbed his head. "What wash that for?" He slurred out as Roxas glared at him.

"You're going to wake up the neighbors. Hush!" Roxas started undoing Axel's shirt, grimacing a little at the smell. Axel wasn't very much help, moving exactly the wrong way, but finally he got it off the older boy and had to fend off another sloppy kiss. "You're not a dog, Axel. Stop drooling on me."

"But you taste so good. Don't you love me?" Axel said with drunken sadness, and Roxas paused a moment before shaking his head.

"Of course I love you. I just don't love you too much right now." He petted red spikes as Axel mumbled to himself, eyes looking a bit glazed. "Go to sleep Axel. You're drunk."

"Told you I'm not…" But Axel was running out of steam and yawned, flopping down and curling up against him. "Love ya Roxy." Roxas forced a smile. This couldn't help but bother him a lot, after what he'd experienced.

"I love you too Axel." That was the truth, no matter how he felt right at the moment.

The next morning, Axel was chipper as a daisy. It was astonishing to Roxas. He'd seen his mother and step-father nursing hangovers plenty of times and had expected Axel to be puking, turning green at the sight of food and generally suffering all the miserable effects. Seeing him eating a big plate of bacon and eggs without a single sign of nausea was almost disgusting.

"Hey Roxas! I made you breakfast." Axel said brightly as the blonde stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering why you're not wishing for death." Axel looked puzzled and Roxas shook his head. "You were really drunk last night Axel."

"Oh, that! Yeah, I never get hangovers, don't ask me why. Sorry about the whole drooling on you part, I get really affectionate when I'm drunk." Axel smiled but then noticed that Roxas wasn't really looking at him, going to get coffee without a word. "Roxy? Is something wrong?"

"…Did you really have to do that?" Roxas said in a low tone, feeling anger curling in his guts. Axel could be so completely insensitive sometimes. "You knew about my parents." Axel winced and looked down into his mug of coffee, then looked up.

"Yeah, I know. But Roxas, I'm not a drunk. I can pick up a glass of wine, drink it and stop. I can stop at one beer and I can get drunk one night without _being_ a drunk. And I'm not going to let what happened to you stop me from drinking sometimes. You know?" Axel said and Roxas stiffened.

"You know, you're really an insensitive ass sometimes." He snapped, then winced at the hurt silence behind him. "I'm sorry Axel. It just – it really bothers me." Roxas shivered a moment as he remembered all the screaming fights, all the times his step-father and mother had hit him, all the – then he suddenly blinked as warm arms encircled him from behind.

"It's okay Roxy." Roxas sniffed and buried his face against Axel's warm chest, smelling the warm, comforting scent of his lover. Axel nuzzled his cheek, fingers tangling in soft, spiky hair. Hideously red hair, but still the hair of the boy he knew and loved. "I'll never hurt you that way, I swear. You're safe with me."

"I know." And he did know. It was just a hard associating to break. They stayed together for a moment, then Roxas looked up. "So is this our first fight?" Axel blinked.

"Wasn't much of a fight!" He'd had real roaring, down and dirty fights in the past and this was hardly a minor squabble compared to them. Roxas smiled slightly.

"I hate fighting. For me, this was a fight." Roxas thoughtfully trailed his fingers over Axel's shirt, undoing a few buttons so he could touch the redhead's chest. "You know, we haven't really made up yet." And it was early Saturday. Axel had a photo shoot later but that wasn't until four. The redhead grinned.

"Then let's make up." Roxas squeaked as he was swept off his feet and carried into the bedroom, bridal style. Axel planted a kiss on his neck and this time it was a normal kiss, the kind he loved to get from the older boy. Roxas turned his head and caught Axel's lips as he lowered him onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Axel's neck and pulling him close.

"Mmm, Axel." Roxas breathed as the older boy started working off his clothes expertly. Roxas began undoing his shirt, impatiently pulling away the fabric. He wanted to feel Axel, all along his body as well as inside him.

"Pretty eager, Roxas." Axel said teasingly before lowering his head, licking and nipping lightly at Roxas' nipples, making the smaller boy moan and tangle his fingers in soft red spikes. Roxas smelled a bit different now than he had on the island, Axel could catch the scent of soap and the vanilla of his shampoo, but beneath that was the warm musk that was Roxas. "Mmm, you taste great…" Axel whispered as he made his way, lapping at Roxas stomach for a moment before going down a bit farther.

"Agh!" Roxas moaned as warm heat enveloped him, Axel's tongue sliding slowly over his throbbing length. Axel kept a hand firmly on his base, keeping him from thrusting up into that heat, controlling him as he sucked. But then Axel took him into the back of his throat and gave him a hard suck, making Roxas toss his head back with a thick moan of pleasure. "God, Axel, please!" It was all too much and if Axel kept doing that, he was going to come for certain. Axel released him with a small pop and Roxas shivered at the sudden loss of his warm mouth.

"Please what?" Axel asked with a mischievous smile and Roxas frowned at him for a moment before heaving a sigh. Axel could be such a pain sometimes… but that was Axel.

"Please, fuck me." He said plainly and Axel laughed, kissing him gently as he opened up the blonde, fingers easily finding his sweet spot and making Roxas moan into his mouth. Lube made everything so much easier, and Axel went inside with a ragged gasp of pleasure. Soon he was pounding Roxas into the bed and the blonde had his arms wrapped around Axel's shoulders, pulling him closer with every thrust.

"Axel." He breathed out the older boys' name, feeling such an intense connection with him. They were perfect together, and being able to see Axel's face when they were making love just made it better. "Axel!" Roxas moaned in pleasure as Axel seemed to brush against his prostate with every thrust. It felt so good, so deep and intense. "AH!" Roxas arched and cried out as sparks exploded behind his eyes, a moment of intense pleasure that brought him to his nirvana. Axel followed a moment later, and Roxas felt the familiar sensation of the redhead releasing inside him. It felt good, and Roxas sighed, nuzzling his lover.

"Love you so much Roxy." Axel whispered in his ear and Roxas blinked slowly, then smiled.

"I love you too." There was nothing he was more sure of in his life. They lay together quietly for a time, just holding each other although neither of them were tired. Roxas finally stirred. "So… is this our happy ending?" He asked the world, and Axel laughed.

"Psh! Happy endings are for stories, not real life Roxy. No, but I know what I want our happy ending to be!" Roxas blinked at him, puzzled as Axel grinned at him. "I can see it now. I'll be the old geezer yelling at the kids to get off the lawn and you'll be asleep in the front porch swing. And we'll both be so old and wrinkly that no one could love us but each other. And that'll be our happy ending." Roxas stared at him, not sure if he wanted to laugh or be appalled.

"That sounds… awful!" He finally exclaimed and Axel laughed again.

"You won't think so when you're ninety." He promised, and Roxas shook his head with a small smile. There was almost no chance they would both reach ninety, still alive and together… but who knew? Maybe they would. Maybe Axel's dream of the future would come true.

They would just have to see.

_And unless I decide to write more…_

_~FIN~_


End file.
